David Massey - Guitarist

David began his studies with David Burden at his local music centre in Hertfordshire. In 2006 he was the strings finalist in the BBC Young Musician competition, performing Rodrigo’s Fantasia para un gentilhombre live on BBC Two from the Sage Gateshead, after which he went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where he graduated with distinction in 2010 and furthered his studies with an MMus in 2012.

He has performed at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Sage Gateshead, King’s Place, St Martin in the Fields, and has frequently performed in chamber and orchestral contexts including Southbank Sinfonia and Chineke!, from Mozart and Respighi to John Adams and Peter Maxwell Davies including the UK premiere of Timothy Walker’s Guitar Concerto. Long standing chamber music projects the Andrews Massey Duo (flute and guitar) and CarmenCo (mezzo-soprano/flute and two guitars) have led to a variety of successful recording projects and an Arts Council funded tour of “Creating Carmen”, a concert play by Clare Norburn of The Telling.

His solo performances have been described as “intense and intimate”, marked by a “remarkable energy and range of tone and dynamics”. His sound and communication of musical structure were praised by Julian Bream. He has received tuition and masterclasses from David Russell, Fabio Zanon, John Mills and Timothy Walker, combining a love for both the traditional guitar repertoire as well as contemporary and new works, of which he has premiered several. From performances in multi-storey carparks to art galleries, he is a musician willing to take risks and try new approaches. David’s arrangements of Schubert, Mozart and Dvorak are played by guitarists and ensembles around the world. His first album of original songs will be released later this year.