Vincent David studied saxophone at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he obtained a graduate degree as well as a unanimous first prize in 1996.

He has performed as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Orchestre National de Montpellier, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, TM+ Ensemble, and Court-Circuit Ensemble. He has premiered many significant pieces, including the saxophone version of Dialogue de l’ombre double by Pierre Boulez. He also recorded Boulez’s Pli selon pli with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, a group with whom he has regularly performed since 1998 and who commissioned his piece Artefact in 2022.

David has collaborated with many figures of contemporary music, such as Luciano Berio, Peter Eötvös, Gérard Grisey, Philippe Hurel, Michael Jarrell, and Matthias Pintscher. He has also collaborated with his classmate from the Conservatoire Bruno Mantovani. The latter described David as a “true incarnation of the saxophone”¹ and considers him the instigator of his piece Troisième Round (2001), which David premiered.

David has contributed to the saxophone repertoire with numerous solo, chamber, and concertante pieces, such as Reflets (2016) for saxophone and wind orchestra, and Terra Nova (2023) for two children’s choirs, orchestra, and saxophone quartet. Blending rock and jazz influences with his contemporary sensibility, he is interested in “chameleon sound,” which, through varying the timbre, introducing percussive elements, and bending notes, enables him to obscure the original sound of the instrument.

A performer and ardent defender of the contemporary saxophone repertoire, David is dedicated to passing along his experience. He gives masterclasses around the world and promotes curiosity and demanding standards in his studios at the Conservatoire de Versailles and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Applying his own lessons, David is active in the improvisation scene through his work with musicians such as Pierrick Pédron, Christophe Monniot, and Jean-Charles Richard. He has collaborated with Le Sacre du Tympan and founded the saxophone quartet Fireworks. He is also a member of the Arcanes quartet.

His works are published by Billaudot, where he is also the director of collection. His first monographic recording was released in 2019 by the label Klarthe.

Prizes and Awards

• Prize for interpretation from the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation - Institut de France de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts, 2021
• Grand Prix Lycéens des Compositeurs and Prix Collégiens des Compositeurs for In pulse, 2021
• Second prize at the Concours International Jean-Marie Londeix de Bordeaux, 1996
• Third prize at the Concours de Genève, 1995
• First Grand Prix at the Concours International Adolphe Sax, 1994

^{1. Program notes for the piece: https://brahms.ircam.fr/en/works/work/20102/ ↩}