David Murphy
Born in Pembrokeshire, David began his musical studies as a violinist, and within a few months was awarded a full scholarship to the Purcell School.
He was the last student of Leon Barzin, and as a result has a direct link to the great conductors of the early twentieth century, notably Toscanini, Furtwängler and Erich Kleiber – a unique training for a conductor of his generation.
His critically acclaimed Royal Festival Hall debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra included a groundbreaking performance of Sibelius 2nd Symphony utilising the original manuscript sources. He returned to the Royal Festival Hall, this time with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to conduct the World Premiere of the Symphony by Ravi Shankar alongside minimalist milestones by Adams and Glass. This was released on the LPO live label (“a resounding triumph” the Independent 5*)
In addition to Barzin, two other legendary mentors were central to his development as a musician: the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras and the sitar maestro and composer Pandit Ravi Shankar. David’s music- making contains a unique blend of these very potent influences. He is currently at the forefront of the development of a new “Indo-Classic” musical genre which aims to tap into the common roots of both traditions. His career spans four continents and has included concerts, recordings and broadcasts with the Philharmonia, Residentie Orkest, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia ViVA, Britten Sinfonia and the London Sinfonietta. He recently completed Ravi Shankar’s opera Sukanya, and, in a co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted the World Premiere tour of the work.