Acclaimed for his vocally flexible and emotionally resonant singing of music from the 17th and 18th centuries, David could well be described as New Zealand’s premier “baroque bass”.

He often performs with leading early music vocal consort Baroque Voices, and late in 2008 appeared with them and the instrumental group Phantastic Spirits in a nationwide tour for Chamber Music New Zealand. His 2006 CD on the Atoll label of Bach’s Peasant Cantata (with soprano Pepe Becker & the Baroque Players directed by Peter Walls) was the work’s first NZ recording using period instruments.

David is also part of a pioneering project with the ensemble Musica Lyrica, performing Bach’s cantatas, one singer per part, in liturgical context at the Lutheran Church of St Paul in Wellington.

While the music of composers such as Bach, Handel, Monteverdi or Charpentier may be central to David’s repertoire, he is by no means limited to Early Music or period instrument performance. He has appeared as a soloist with many choirs in the Wellington region including the Orpheus Choir (Elgar’s Coronation Ode) and the Wellington Bach Choir (Bach’s B minor Mass and Haydn’s Nelson Mass among others).

David’s voice studies began as a boy soprano, followed by lessons from Mary Adams Taylor in Christchurch (where he graduated from the University of Canterbury with a BA and B.Mus.), and then coaching in London with British bass David Thomas.

David is a presenter, interviewer and record reviewer on NZ’s classical music network Radio New Zealand Concert. He has given presentations on music to groups throughout the Wellington region, and has a particular interest in historical recordings (dating back to the very early years of last century) and the performing styles & musicianship they preserve.

Source: David Morriss

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