David Corkhill

David Corkhill is one of the U.K.’s most familiar musical figures, both on the concert-hall platform and in the recording studio, as a player, arranger, composer and conductor.

He began his adult musical life at London’s Royal Academy of Music with a wide musical grounding as a pianist and harpsichordist as well as the french horn, and graduated as a timpanist and percussionist. These studies and elements of performance became the basis of his conducting studies at the Academy under Professor Maurice Miles, for which David was awarded the Ricordi Prize.

David’s early years as a professional musician included work with a great many distinguished musicians – David Munrow, Philip Jones, John-Eliot Gardener, and Karlheinz Stockhausen amongst others – and in 1988 he received a much coveted ‘Grammy’ award for his chamber music work with Sir Georg Solti, Murray Periah and Evelyn Glennie.

David developed a special interest and affection for the music of Benjamin Britten during time spent at the Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk where he took part in many historical performances of Britten’s works including The Turn of the Screw under the composer’s baton, and Death in Venice, the timpani part for which was written for David. As a player also, David was honoured in 1995 by an invitation from Sir Georg Solti to be a founding member of his World Orchestra for Peace.

David’s broad experience in all fields of music making enables him to be equally at home directing ensembles of contemporary music, period instrument performances, grand opera, or the mainstream 19th century orchestral repertoire. Amongst his varied work with many ensembles David has most notably conducted the English Chamber Orchestra,, the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, the Jersey Chamber Orchestra, Southbank Sinfonia, and ensembles from the Philharmonia. David is Musical Director of Orchestra of the Arts, resident at St. Mary-le-Bow in the City of London, as well as Staff Conductor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Assistant Conductor and Chamber Music Co-ordinator of Southbank Sinfonia.