David Griffiths

David Griffiths is Professor of Music (Performance - Clarinet) and Head of Woodwinds at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne. He also holds the position of Associate Director for Individual Performance Studies. His academic background includes studies at the Canberra School of Music under Alan Vivian and a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with distinguished clarinettists Alan Kay, David Krakauer, Charles Neidich, and Ricardo Morales. As a performer and educator, Griffiths specializes in clarinet performance, chamber music, and historical performance practice.

Griffiths has built an illustrious career in orchestral, solo, and chamber music settings. He served as Associate Principal Clarinet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Principal Clarinet with the Macau Orchestra, and Principal Clarinet with the Shanghai Radio Orchestra. He has appeared as Guest Principal Clarinet with all of Australia’s major symphony, opera, and ballet orchestras, as well as the Australian Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and Malaysian Philharmonic. As a soloist, he has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Victoria, featuring works such as John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons Clarinet Concerto and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. A member of Ensemble Liaison and Australia Ensemble@UNSW, he curates Ensemble Liaison’s annual three-concert series at the Melbourne Recital Centre. He has collaborated with artists including Nemanja Radulović, Ray Chen, Richard Tognetti, Anthony Marwood, Henning Kraggerud, James Crabb, and Emma Matthews at festivals such as the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Port Fairy Festival, Lucerne Festival, and Pacific Music Festival. Griffiths champions new Australian music, commissioning and premiering compositions by Paul Stanhope, Ross Edwards, Stuart Greenbaum, Elena Kats-Chernin, Ian Munro, Gordon Kerry, Felicity Wilcox, Mary Finsterer, Paul Grabowsky, and Tony Gould. His recordings with Ensemble Liaison include Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time on Melba Recordings and Brahms, Beethoven, and Bruch Trios on Tall Poppies Records. He delivers masterclasses and performances across Asia, Europe, the United States, South America, the Middle East, New Zealand, and Australia.

Professional Email: griffithsd@unimelb.edu.au