David Gordon has always led two parallel musical lives.
For decades David was a distinguished classical tenor soloist with great opera companies and symphonies around the globe (bio).
And he's also an acoustic guitarist and vocalist with an eclectic, offbeat repertoire.
These days David no longer sings on the classical stage, but he is still quite securely strapped to his guitar. Drawing on a lifetime of concerts and centuries of music, David creates unique programs of songs and poetry interwoven with colorful historical narrative.
David's solo shows are vivid, dramatic presentations characterized by a keen sense of drama, deep scholarship, whimsy, goofy humor, and his endearing and powerful ability to tell stories and connect with the audience. Click here to subscribe to David's email list
Click on the program titles below for more info:
Will Ye No Come Back Again - Scottish Songs & Poems
David's family roots are in the Highlands of Scotland, and in this concert he shares Scottish songs and poetry from the 18th and 19th centuries, with a focus on Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, and Carolina Oliphant, a contemporary of Burns.
It's a combination of lyrical ballads, spooky tales, spirited songs of battles and freedom, and colorful history. (Coming to Monterey, CA, in several venues in May/June 2024)
Dear Friends & Gentle Hearts - The True Life of Stephen Foster
A myth-busting and poignant narration of the life of America's first great songwriter, with songs performed in the order in which they were written. In his tragically short life, Stephen Foster turned away from his early, coarse minstrel songs and produced ballads of beauty and compassion. The great statesman and abolitionist Frederick Douglass called some of them "heart songs."
Dear Harp of My Country - Irish Songs & Poems (coming Fall 2024)
A colorful bouquet of 18th and 19th Century Irish poetry and song - passionate and noble ballads about love, loss, adventure, and highway robbery, all interwoven with historical narration and classic poetry by Thomas Moore, the mystical William Butler Yeats, and other Irish bards.
Singing My Heart Out - A Lifetime of Songs
After six decades of concerts, this is a personal retrospective of David's favorite and most comforting, uplifting songs. The playlist covers more than a century, and is designed to open hearts, generate laughs and tears, and share the power of music and the joys of living and love. Live Video Excerpts
Wait for the Wagon - Songs & Stories from 19th-Century America
In the 19th century America was filled with music, and these songs were popular in the USA between 1840 and 1880: the "Greatest Hits" from the era of the Oregon Trail, the Gold Rush, and the Civil War. You will learn the real names of the Man on the Flying Trapeze and the teenage girl who wrote Rock-a-Bye Baby.
Hard Times - Songs of Justice and Conscience
150 years of songs – a hard-hitting, progressive commentary on the importance of compassion, courage, generosity, taking action, believing in the future, and hope. With a touch of bittersweet humor, these songs calm the mind and strengthen the heart.
25 audio tracks from live concerts
Outside the Box: audio of a California concert
Videos from concerts and livestreams
