Biography

Norman David is a saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, author and music educator. Born in Montreal, he moved to the United States in the mid 1970s, residing in Boston, central Maine, and, since 1989, in the Philadelphia area. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Compostion from Temple University, a Master of Music in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. In addition, he completed advanced studies in arranging and woodwinds at Berklee College of Music. He is currently Adjunct Associate Professor and a member of the Composition Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia where, in addition to teaching composition, he lectures in orchestration, arranging and theory. He is also currently Artist-in-Residence at Temple University, teaching jazz composition and arranging, business of music, and conducting ensembles. He was also, from 2004-08, on the music faculty at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts where he instructed woodwinds, directed free improvisation ensembles, and lectured in modern music. He has previously been a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, Colby College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Ursinus College.

David currently directs, plays with, and composes all the music for The Eleventet, his eleven-member professional ensemble, comprised of top jazz artists in the northeast U.S., some internationally-renowned. He has also appeared as leader or sideman at clubs, theaters and festivals in the U.S., Canada, France and Italy. His jazz compositions have been performed by, among others, George Garzone, Dick Oatts, Tim Hagans, John Fedchock, John Swana, Terell Stafford, Gary Smulyan, Scott Robinson, Tim Horner, John Hebert, Tony Marino, and various all-star jazz ensembles. He has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Composers Forum.

David’s art music compositions have been premiered by, among others, Alea III, The Network For New Music, Les Thimmig, Arne Running, Charles Abramovic, and Jonathan Blumenfeld. His compositions have been cited for excellence by the Artists’s Foundation of Massachusetts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Vanguard Artists Associates.

David’s text book, Jazz Arranging, was published in 1998 by Ardsley House, an imprint of Scarecrow Press. To date, it maintains substantial sales and continues to be adopted for course work at many colleges and universities. Plans are under way for a second edition, to be released in the near future. David's latest book, The Ella Fitzgerald Companion, an examination of the development and artistry of that great American singer, was released by Praeger Publishers in 2004 and is enjoying tremendous success.