musical director

David has conducted the inaugural West End productions of numerous musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Singin’ in the Rain, La Cage Aux Folles, Pirates of Penzance, Phantom of the Opera and Chicago. David also gained experience through his work as a session keyboardist on the soundtracks of numerous films and TV programmes. Along the way he worked with movie composers John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Bruce Broughton and Marvin Hamlisch, This serves him well when now required as conductor to master the technical demands (click tracks, MIDI guides, sample emulation for example) all of which are now commonplace in music recording. For television his engagements have included Musical Director/Arranger for Victoria Wood As Seen on TV, Dinner Ladies Bryn Terfel at Christmas and Wales in the West End with Michael Ball and Lesley Garrett. He supervised the recent new Scandinavian production of Les Miserables, and was Musical Director of Carousel (Savoy).

concerts

David has conducted concerts throughout the UK (Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, Cadogan Hall, the NEC Birmingham G Mex Manchester, St David’s Hall Cardiff, Odyssey Belfast), throughout the Europe (Copenhagen, Hannover, Cologne, Stockholm, Hamburg, Zurich) and further afield (Bangkok, Singapore, Ottawa, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, Osaka) amongst many other venues. A recent venture has been conducting live music to picture  Disney’s Fantasia in arenas across the UK, Pirates of the Caribbean in the UK and Europe, and 2 hour feature length Disney animation compilation in Scandinavia. Orchestras have included the Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Concert , Danish Royal Kapel, Odense Symphony, Aalborg Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Danish Sinfonietta, Ottawa National Arts Orchestra, Sonderjyllands Symphony, Bangkok Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife, Chinese Philharmonic (Beijing), North Deutsche Radio and numerous freelance ensembles.

composer and arranger

David Firman’s commissions as arranger/orchestrator have included television:- Victoria Wood as Seen on TV, Dinner Ladies BBC – Bryn Terfel’s Christmas – S4C; theatre Enter The Guardsman – Donmar Warehouse My One and Only – Piccadilly and CD recording Passion Jose Carreras.

As composer his work includes a new ballet for the Danish Royal Ballet, title music for numerous television series, and a DVD recording celebrating Hans Andersen’s jubilee. He is equally comfortable writing in symphonic genres (Lord of the Rings, for the Danish Symphony Orch) and rock and pop styles (Simply Red).

international

David Firman served as Principal Guest Conductor for the Danish Sinfonietta for over 2 decades. This fruitful and happy partnership saw them together perform at the royal opening celebration of the bridge joining Denmark to Sweden, the marriage of Crown Prince Joachim, the official commemoration on the first anniversary of the 9/11 outrage in New York, the world premiere performances of Three Musketeers composed by George Stiles, The Hobbit with Sir Christopher Lee, and celebrations of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Anniversary, the orchestra’s own ruby anniversary, and the world premiere of a new musical Matador at Copenhagen’s new opera house. David conducted the Royal concert to inaugurate the new concert hall and music studios designed by Jean Nouvel , having composed the music for the laying of the foundation stone a few years earlier. David’s partnership with the orchestra has encompassed eclectic repertoire including performances with rock legends iGary Brooker , Ray Davies and the late Robin Gibb, major Scandinavian artistes such as Sissel Kyrkjebo, Inga dam Jensen and Tommy Krberg, Sanne Salomonsen and Kurt Ravn, and international performers Dee Dee Bridgewater, Mick Hucknell, Katie Melua, Jean Michel Jarre, Paddy Maloney, Harolyn Blackwell and the late Jerry Hadley.