"A model of style and charm, and an irresistible performer"
    - Washington POST

From Carnegie Hall to Tokyo, from Berlin to Buenos Aires, David Gordon has warmed the hearts of music lovers with singing the Boston GLOBE describes as "stirringly poetic, with absolute clarity of execution, great conviction, and glowing beauty."

David has received international critical acclaim as guest soloist with virtually every major North American symphony orchestra, and with other prestigious orchestras, operas, and music festivals on four continents.

David's solo vocal repertoire spans eight centuries and eight languages. He has collaborated in concerts, operas, and studio recordings with leading international conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Christopher Hogwood, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Robert Shaw, Valery Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, Helmuth Rilling, Peter Schreier, Yoel Levi, David Zinman, Gerard Schwarz, Bruno Weil, and James Conlon.

David has recorded Medieval music for Delos; major works of Bach, Beethoven and Schubert for Telarc, Delos, Vox, and Dorian; and 20th-century music for BMG/RCA Red Seal,

David made his operatic debut in Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier" at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1973, after completing Lyric's apprenticeship program. With that company and with the San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington Opera, Hamburg Staatsoper, and other companies, he has sung 59 operatic roles in more than 700 performances.

His operatic repertoire encompasses the music of Monteverdi, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Smetana, Massenet, Wagner, Moussorgsky, Leoncavallo, Verdi, Puccini, Richard Strauss, and Stravinsky.

He has performed dozens of lyric roles such as Nemorino (L'Elisir d'Amore), Almaviva (Barber of Seville), Tamino (Magic Flute), and David (Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg)but he's especially known for his unique and vivid portrayals of weird, unusual, and often scary or hilarious characters.

"A virtuoso singer and actor"
- Salzburg NACHRICHTEN

Operatic credits include the Yurodivi ("Simpleton") in Boris Godunov in a season-opener at the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Mime in Wagner's "Das Rheingold" at San Francisco opera and with the Cleveland Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi; Nemorino in Donizetti's "Elisir d'Amore" with the Staatsoper in Hamburg, Germany; Stravinsky's The Rakes Progress at the Kennedy Center; Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Landestheater Opera on Linz, Austria; Puccini's "Turandot" at the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Bardolfo in Verdi's "Falstaff" with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony, and in Japan with Maestro Ozawa and the New Japan Philharmonic.

"Crystal intonation, effortless coloratura,  impeccable style."
    - Prague LIDOVA DEMOKRACIE

In the concert hall

David Gordon is a distinguished concert soloists, and has been featured in concert and on recordings with major orchestras North and South America, Europe, and Japan. He has performed Handel's "Messiah" at Carnegie Hall with the Musica Sacra chorus and orchestra; Berlioz' "Romeo and Juliette" with Valery Gergiev and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" with Greg Funfgeld and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Haydn's "Creation" with the St. Louis Symphony; the Britten "Serenade" at Carnegie Hall; Rossini's "Messa di Gloria" with the Berlin Philharmonic; Britten's "War Requiem" with the Cleveland Orchestra; Berlioz' "Te Deum" with the Boston Symphony; Monteverdi's "1610 Vespers" with Helmuth Rilling and the Czech Philharmonic; and the world premiere of Charles Fussell's "Funf Goethe-Lieder", written for Mr. Gordon and the Seattle Symphony.

"One of the world's great Bach tenors"  
           - Chicago TRIBUNE

David Gordon has won special praise for his performances of the music of J. S. Bach, in hundreds of performances throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. He is especially known for his stylish and communicative portrayals of the supremely demanding "Evangelist" roles in the St. Matthew and St. John Passions.

David has toured internationally as Bach Evangelist with the Bach-Collegium of Stuttgart, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, and the German Chamber Orchestra.

He has sung Bach's music with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Peter Schreier; San Francisco Symphony; Berlin Radio Symphony; Berlin Philharmonic; St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra; Boston's Handel and Haydn Society; the Dallas, Baltimore, and Toronto Symphonies; and with innumerable other ensembles and choral societies around the world.

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"David Gordon...was truly in a class by himself. One of today's consummate Bach tenors, Mr. Gordon gave a thrilling interpretation. Even Bach could not wish for a grander portrayal."
   - Baltimore DAILY RECORD

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David's career as a Bach tenor includes numerous performances of Bach's major works at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall (Boston), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Philharmonic Hall Berlin, Vienna Musikverein, Dorothy Chandler Pavillion and Hollywood Bowl(L.A.), radio Symphony Hall (Tokyo), Teatro Colon Buenos Aires) and on other great stages worldwide.

David has been a frequent soloist in all the major works of Bach at all the principal North American Bach Festivals including: Bethlehem Bach Festival, Pennsylvania; Winter Park Bach Festival, Florida; Eugene Bach Festival, Oregon; Baldwin-Wallace, Ohio; Carmel Bach Festival, and Helmuth Rilling"s International Bach Academy of Stuttgart.

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    Carmel Bach Festival

2008 will be David's 20th season with the Carmel Bach Festival. For nine seasons he was principal tenor soloist and now he now serves as a year-round member of the senior artistic staff. He designs and directs the Festival's "Discovery Series"—50 free lectures, master classes, open rehearsals, and family concerts. Since 1990 he has led the Festival's annual Vocal Master Class for young professional singers. David also creates the Bach Festival's supertitles.

The Joy of Singing

"I've been taking voice lessons for twenty years. You're the first person who really taught me how to sing."     - established professional singer (mezzo)

Drawing on his lifetime of experience in music and sound, David is a popular and innovative voice teacher, coach and clinician. His home is in beautiful Carmel Valley, California, south of San Francisco. He maintains busy voice studios there and in San Francisco. David has served on the voice faculties of Sonoma State University, San Francisco State University, and the University of California at Berkeley. In 2006 he was guest artist at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Be sure to follow this link for information on private voice lessons and coachings. Read comments from Students

Classical Discography

David Gordon has recorded fifteen classical CDs for RCA Red Seal, London, Decca, Telarc, Delos, Nonesuch, Dorian and other labels. The music spans eight centuries, from the middle ages and renaissance, through the baroque and romantic eras, to several world premieres written especially for David.

Particular favorites include Bach Arias for Tenor with Greg Funfgeld and the Bethlehem Bach Festival Orchestra; the Bach Magnificat with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony; Stravinsky's Pulcinella with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra under Christopher Hogwood; Dreames and Imaginations, a collection of Elizabethan songs for tenor and consort of viols; and the role of Acis in a complete recording of Handel's opera Acis and Galatea with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony.

Follow this link for information about David's classical recordings