DAVID THOMAS COTTER
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DAVID THOMAS COTTER

biography

David Thomas Cotter is an academic (author, PhD candidate, and researcher), guitarist (composer and performer), educator (speaker, teacher, and tutor), and musician (clarinettist  and conductor) based in the UK. 

As an academic, David is currently reading for his PhD in Music in the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor John Rink. His thesis is entitled 'The Collaborative Guitar' - exploring the past, present, and future of the guitar as a collaborative instrument, and theories of performer-performer collaborative creativity. He has given lecture-recitals (Cambridge, Hong Kong, and Portugal), delivered papers (Belgium, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Middlesex University), co-authored a book chapter (with Professor Marc Estibeiro, Staffordshire University), co-organised a conference (The Classical Musician in the 21st Century conference, University of Cambridge), and built self-playing guitar robots (RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Norway).

As a guitarist, David frequently performs around the UK and has given lecture-recitals around the world. He possesses a rich repertoire of Baroque, Classical, Contemporary, Latin-American, Percussive, Popular, Romantic, and Spanish music, and has made over 100 concert appearances in a variety of venues, from the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon.  He gave the world-premiere of the first ever piece for classical guitar and virtual reality headset at the EXPO Festival (St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford), and has ). Passionate about ensemble performance, David frequently collaborates with cellists, choirs, clarinetists, composers, electronics, flautists, guitarists, guitar orchestras, harpists, percussionists, pianists, recorder players, singers, and violinists. He has shared the stage with notable artists such as Dame Emma Kirkby and the Military Wives, and performs as one half of Duo Palatino, with mezzo-soprano Sophie Kidwell.

As an educator, David has taught hundreds of pupils over the last 10 years, and draws on his extensive knowledge of instrumental techniques, musical interpretation, performance skills, harmony, posture, and physical awareness in his classical guitar teaching practice. For more information, see Teaching.

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Contact

David is available to perform solo recitals, duo recitals, and provide atmospheric music for events (birthdays, christenings, festivals, private functions, special occasions, weddings etc...). 
​

He currently has limited availability for private lessons.

For enquiries, please use:
​
07805044514
davidcotter101@gmail.com



Previously, David obtained an MPhil in Music Studies at the University of Cambridge (2017-18),  taught at the Mount Kelly Foundation (2016-17), worked as Media Coordinator for Music Durham (2015-16), and obtained a BA in Music (1st Class Honours) at the University of Durham (2013-16) (during which time he was Conductor/President of Durham University College Orchestra, President of the New Art Music Ensemble, and Electric Guitarist for Durham University College Big Band). Competition successes have included winning the Mabel Stoyel Memorial Cup in consecutive years at the Plymouth Festival of Music, Speech and Drama, reaching the final round of the Two Moor's Festival Young Musician’s Platform Competition, and coming second in the Plymouth Young Composer of the Year competition. David studied with some of the world's leading musicians including: Alison Smith (University of Plymouth, UK), Andrew West (Royal Academy of Music, UK), Antigoni Goni (Greece), Carlos Bonell (Royal College of Music, UK), Dame Emma Kirkby (UK), Daniela Rossi (Argentina), David Russell (Scotland), Diego Castro Magas (Catholic University of Chile, Chile), Graham Devine (Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, UK), Hector Sequera (University of Durham, UK), Jacob Heringman (UK), Ian Cross (University of Cambridge, UK), Jacob Heringman (UK), John Mills (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, UK), John Rink (University of Cambridge, UK), John Snijders (University of Durham, UK), Margarita Escarpa (Spain), Máximo Diego Pujol (Argentina), Miloš Karadaglić (Montenegro), Mine Doğantan-Dack (University of Cambridge, UK), Paco Seco (Spain), and Pavel Steidl (Czech Republic).

Presently, David is a member of  The Choir of Sidney Sussex College, a member of The Ismena Collective, and is an Associate of the Guitar Foundation of America.
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