David Bender
Instrument: Cello
Studies:
Blair School of Music
Biography:
David Bender began playing the cello at age five at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. In 2016 David was selected to be a part of Carnegie Hall’s summer music program, NYO-USA, where he performed as principal cellist under Maestro Valery Gergiev. David has also attended prestigious summer programs such as Music Academy of the West, and the Taos School of Music. In 2017, David was featured on NPR’s “From the Top,” a radio show hosted by Christopher O’Riley. As a winner of the 2018 Keston MAX fellowship at Music Academy of the West, David had the opportunity to perform three concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. David received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Joel Krosnick and Natasha Brofsky. As a chamber musician, David has studied with the Brentano, American, Shanghai, and Arianna string quartets. As principal cellist of the Juilliard Orchestra, David performed under the baton of David Robertson, Alan Gilbert, and Marin Alsop. David was also a member of the Gluck Community Fellowship, a program that provides musical outreach to various hospitals, nursing homes, and cancer treatment centers around New York City. David plays on a contemporary cello made by Peter Goodfellow, generously on loan from the Virtu Foundation.
