David Bruce (composer)

David Bruce (born 1970) is a British composer and YouTube performer.

This article is about the British composer. For the Australian singer, see David Bruce (musician).

Early life

Bruce was born in Stamford, Connecticut in 1970, but grew up in England.[1] He began his undergraduate music studies in 1988 at the University of Nottingham, where his composition tutors included Jim Fulkerson and Nicholas Sackman. He continued at the Royal College of Music from 1991 to 1993, where he obtained a master's degree in Composition, studying with Timothy Salter and George Benjamin. He received a PhD in Composition at King's College London between 1995 and 1999, under the supervision of Harrison Birtwistle.[2]

Career

Bruce developed an international reputation as a composer. His work is performed by musicians from around the world, including soprano Dawn Upshaw, klezmer pioneer Giora Feidman and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Upshaw in particular played an important role in bringing Bruce's music to wider attention. She instigated the commission for his opera A Bird in Your Ear and performed his Piosenki song-cycle at Carnegie Hall and elsewhere. Upshaw was the soloist in a new song-cycle with ensemble, The North Wind was a Woman, commissioned for the Gala opening of the 2009 season by the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center.[3]

His work Gumboots was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for clarinetist Todd Palmer and the St Lawrence String Quartet. His Groanbox was written for New York's Metropolis Ensemble featuring The Groanbox Boys. He wrote Caja de Musica for Concert Artists Guild Winner Bridget Kibbey's Carnegie Hall debut.

Bruce's one-act opera A Bird in Your Ear (2008) was commissioned by Bard College and later had performances by New York City Opera as part of the 2009 Vox festival; as a finalist in the National Opera Association's Chamber Opera competition 2008 and with students at New York University. The New York Times described A Bird in Your Ear as "skillfully written and imaginative".[4]

Bruce's earlier chamber opera Push! was commissioned by the Genesis Foundation and premiered by Tête à Tête in London and went on tour in the UK in 2006. Push! was Critic's Choice for 2006 in both The Telegraph and Classical Music Magazine. Other commissions include a series of mini-operas – Out of the Ordinary, for The Opera Group, Has it Happened Yet? (2002) for ENO Studios and Tête à Tête; Seven Tons of Dung for Tête à Tête (1999); incidental music to the Trestle Theatre Company's show The Smallest Person (2004); and instrumental pieces for the London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Presteigne Festival and the Lake District Summer Music Festival.

In 2011, another commission for Carnegie Hall, the octet Steampunk, was premiered by Ensemble ACJW at Skidmore College.[5][6][7][8]

YouTube Channel

David Bruce opened a YouTube channel in november 2009[9]. Starting in november 2017, he began to upload educational videos about different aspects of music, usually focusing on traditional western Classical music, but also exploring other genres and traditions, and initiated collaborative composition projects with fellow YouTubers such as Adam Neely, Ben Levin or Nahre Sol.

Recognition

Selected works

Operas

Chamber works
  • 2 Baka Studies (mixed ensemble) (1992)
  • Contradance (string ensemble) (1993)
  • Crosswinds (chamber ensemble) (1995)
  • Flowers in Stone (chamber ensemble) (1997)
  • Carrow (violin, cello, clarinet, piano) (1998)
  • Piosenki (soprano, baritone and ensemble) (2007)
  • Gumboots (clarinet quintet) (2008)
  • Gigue (flute and harp) (2008)
  • Dances for Oskar (string quartet) (2008)
  • The North Wind was a Woman (soprano and ensemble) (2009)
  • Groanbox (mixed chamber orchestra w/ banjo and accordian) (2009)
  • Saudades (clarinet, accordion, and string quartet) (2010)
  • Tears, Puffes, Jumps and Galliards (sopranino, soprano and tenor recorder; string quartet) (2010)
  • The Eye of Night (flute, harp, viola) (2011)
  • Steampunk (mixed octet) (2011)
  • The Given Note (clarinet, violin, guitar, bass, cello) (2011)
  • Forgotten Boots (clarinet and piano) (2012)
  • Cymbeline (mandolin and string quartet) (2013)
  • The Consolation of Rain (oboe, cello, harp, percussion) (2016)
  • Kundalee (clarinet, cello, viol) (2018)
  • The Lick Quartet (string quartet) (2019)
  • Out of Hours (soprano voice, bass voice and string septet) (2019)

Orchestral Works
  • Laughter Through Tears (klezmer ensemble of clarinet, violin and string orchestra) (2010)
  • Two Dowland Laments (mezzo-soprano and string orchestra) (2011)
  • Prince Zal and the Simorgh (symphony orchestra with narrator) (2012)
  • Night Parade (symphony orchestra) (2013) commissioned by San Diego Symphony. Premiered at Carnegie Hall on 29 October 2013.
  • Violin Concerto "Fragile Light" (violin and symphony orchestra) (2014)
  • Fanfarrón (symphony orchestra) (2017)
  • Sidechaining (symphony orchestra) (2018)

Other Works
  • Caja de Musica (solo harp) (2009)
  • Sports et Divertissements (arrangement of Satie, for chamber ensemble or chamber orchestra) (2010)
  • Fire (large choir, four horns) (2012) commissioned by The Opera Group. One of 20 pieces commissioned for the UK Cultural Olympiad '20x12' series. Premiered in May 2012 at Salisbury Festival
  • Cut the Rug, commissioned by Silk Road Ensemble and recorded on the album 'A Playlist without Borders' (Sony). Première at Carnegie Hall on 16 October 2013.
  • That Time with You, commissioned by Carnegie Hall and Kelley O'Connor. For mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor. Première at Carnegie Hall on 29 October 2013.

References
  1. "Biography". davidbruce.net. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  2. CompositionToday Interview with David Bruce, compositiontoday.com; accessed 9 November 2014.
  3. "The North Wind was a woman by David Bruce". www.davidbruce.net. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  4. Tommasini, Anthony (4 May 2009). "Sampling of New Dishes, Some Still Being Seasoned". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  5. "Carnegie Hall Premieres to present new work by David Bruce". Skidmore College. 28 January 2011. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  6. "Ensemble ACJW premieres 'Steampunk'at Skidmore". The Saratogian. 31 January 2011.
  7. Gia Vaccarezza (4 February 2011). "Ensemble ACJW returns to campus". Skidmore News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  8. David Bruce (November 2010). "David Bruce's Carnegie Hall commission, Steampunk" (Full 22-minute piece in five movements, streamable). David Bruce. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  9. https://www.youtube.com/user/davidbrucedotnet/about
  10. "Past Winners – University of Massachusetts Boston". www.umb.edu. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  11. "David Bruce – Composer Biography". www.davidbruce.net. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  12. "2012 Cultural Olympiad composers named". Gramophone. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
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