David Murray was born in Canada and began studies on the double bass at age 12. He worked in high school with Gary Karr and continued college education with Mr. Karr at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT. During summers, David attended the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, A F of M String Congress, and both Tanglewood and Aspen as a Fellowship recipient. Upon graduation he received the Outstanding Performer award from the Hartt School, and later that year was a top prize winner in the Canada Music Competition. In 1981, David was winner of the Aspen Bass Concerto Competition. In 1988, he won the International Society of Bassists Competition in Los Angeles and was presented by the Society in a Carnegie Hall debut in 1990. David has given solo recitals in various parts of Canada and the United States, including Halifax, Hartford, New York, Amarillo, New Orleans, Interlochen, Dallas, and Houston. He has been soloist with orchestras in Colorado, Hartford, Halifax, Amarillo, and Edmonton, and in October of 1992 gave the world premiere of “Yohanan,” a concerto by Robert Rohe, in Saint John, Canada. His debut recording, released in 1993, has been heard on radio across Canada and the United States, and in Europe. David’s recent performances and masterclasses have taken place in Israel, Greeley (Colorado), and San Antonio. He plays principal bass at the Bear Valley Music Festival in California David Murray is currently *Professor of Bass at Butler University in Indianapolis (Jordan College of Fine Arts), and principal bass of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera (University of Illinois-Urbana) and the Bear Valley Festival Orchestra (California). He was Instructor of Bass at West Texas A&M University for 12 years where he also lectured in classes of music appreciation, taught music theory, and was principal bass of the Amarillo Symphony. In addition, he has performed often with the Orchestra of Santa Fe, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and has given master classes and clinics around the country at such places as Yale University and the Manhattan School of Music. In January 1996, he was invited to be the only American faculty member at the Sorak Festival in South Korea, where he returned in 1997 to give classes and performances. David is a member of the *Bad Boyz of Bass bass quartet. He is past President of the International Society of Bassists. David performs in a music video of his famous version of “B.B. Wolf” (available for sale at the Richard Davis Clinic), as is his duo CD, Duetti Dolci, with bassist Diana Gannett. His newest CD of sonatas by Franck and Shostakovitch was released in Fall 2012.
