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 has played as leader or sideman at clubs, theaters and festivals in the U.S., Canada, France, and Italy. He currently directs, performs with, and composes all the music for The Eleventet, his eleven-member professional ensemble, comprised of some of the top jazz artists in the northeast U.S., many internationally-renowned. He has appeared with, and his jazz compositions have been performed by, among others, George Garzone, Dick Oatts, Tim Hagans, Seamus Blake, Jon Gordon, John Fedchock, John Swana, Terell Stafford, Scott Robinson, Gary Smulyan, Greg Hopkins, Tony Marino, John Hebert, Tim Horner, and various all-star jazz ensembles. He has been awarded grants in recognition of his jazz composing from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Composers Forum.
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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 has played as leader or sideman at clubs, theaters and festivals in the U.S., Canada, France, and Italy. He currently directs, performs with, and composes all the music for The Eleventet, his eleven-member professional ensemble, comprised of some of the top jazz artists in the northeast U.S., many internationally-renowned. He has appeared with, and his jazz compositions have been performed by, among others, George Garzone, Dick Oatts, Tim Hagans, Seamus Blake, Jon Gordon, John Fedchock, John Swana, Terell Stafford, Scott Robinson, Gary Smulyan, Greg Hopkins, Tony Marino, John Hebert, Tim Horner, and various all-star jazz ensembles. He has been awarded grants in recognition of his jazz composing from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Composers Forum.
David’s art music compositions have been premiered by Alea III, The Network For New Music, Les Thimmig, Arne Running, Charles Abramovic, Jonathan Blumenfeld, Jarred Antonacci, and The Temple University Wind Symphony. 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. It continues to be adopted for course work at many colleges and universities, and it maintains a wide readership among professional musicians and enthusiasts in general. His 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.
David 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; and Artist-in-Residence at Temple University, where he is the Coordinator of Jazz Composition and Arranging. Additionally, he was, from 2004-08, a member of 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 taught at Berklee College of Music, Colby College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Ursinus College.
Awards
American Composers Forum Subito Grant
National Endowment for the Arts: Fellowship Grant in Jazz Composition
University of the Arts Faculty Enrichment Grant
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