David Corkhill BA FGS HonRAM FRAM

David Corkhill

David Corkhill is probably unique in holding Principal positions in two internationally known full time orchestras: the Philharmonia and the English Chamber Orchestra.

During his varied career David has played in Britten's chamber opera 'The Turn of the Screw' under the composer's baton. Britten later added a specially composed timpani and percussion part to his cantata' Rejoice in the Lamb' for him, later incorporating ideas from that into the timpani part of his opera 'Death in Venice', in the first performances and recording of which David Corkhill participated.

Amongst his engagements as soloist have been performances of Panufnik's Concertino for Percussion with Evelyn Glennie, and Stockhausen's Refrains and Zyklus.During the 1980s David was invited by Vladimir Ashkenazy to perform and record Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, and this was followed by an invitation from Sir George Solti to perform, film, and record for CBS the same work with himself, Murray Periah, and Evelyn Glennie. In 1988 this recording won the coveted 'Grammy' award.

David Corkhill is Professor of Timpani at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and in 1987 he was awarded a Fellowship.

David is also becoming well known as a conductor. He has directed amongst many other ensembles the English Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and he has also assisted John-Eliot Gardiner in his Beethoven and Schumann Symphonies and Opera projects, and has conducted an ensemble for Maestro Christof von Dohnányi at Vienna's MusikVerein and at La Scala, Milan. This has been in addition to a busy schedule of programming, directing, and conducting a highly successful series of concerts and other projects for the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.