Recital: David Braid – composer/mandolin
David Black – guitar

The Programme

David Braid – composer/mandolin
David Black – guitar

Insistence
Transience
A brief question
Reflections
Wind-up kaleidoscope
Clockwork radio love song
Secret almost-waltz
Rondo in rondo
A dream, driven
Every Single Day
Invocation & continuum

The Artists

David Braid’s work has been performed internationally in Europe and the Americas and broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Major UK performances include at Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room and Wilton’s Music Hall. Extraordinarily prolific, he has completed well over 160 works, including three symphonies, a viola concerto, and some 70+ works for his primary instrument, the mandolin. David also plays the Renaissance lute and most types of guitar; his music is published by Productions d’Oz and Le Luth Doré. Steve Reich said of David’s work: “Morning – Integration of voice with string quartet beautifully done – particularly first entrance. Writing for instruments is solid and sounds very good to me. Very honest stuff”.

Two single-composer albums (CD/download) of his work are available: David Braid, Chamber & Instrumental Music and David Braid: Songs, solos and duos. He also has a further ten downloads on release, including his Auto-work series, on which he plays all the instruments. He is a graduate of Oxford University, the Royal College of Music, and the Cracow Academy of Music. He wrote the tutorial book/CD, Play Classical Guitar that was later published in Spanish translation. David plays a Collings MT mandolin.

David Black was born in Bangor, North Wales and began playing the guitar at the age of ten. In 2000 he graduated with First Class Honours from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and in 2004 he completed an MMus at the Royal College of Music. David now lives in South East London and is busy performing solo, as one half of the Albach Guitar Duo and with contemporary music group rarescale. Alongside classical guitar, David also plays the lute (having studied with Jakob Lindberg at RCM) and has played and taught electric and steel-string guitars for over 20 years.

Recent performances have taken him to San Francisco (Old First Concerts), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Lima (Peru), Aarhus (Denmark), Greenman Festival (Wales) and recordings for BBC Radio. David currently teaches guitar at Dulwich College, Eltham College, Blackheath High and St Olave’s School and has also written a study book for Quercus publications. David plays a guitar by Kenny Hill.