David Barnard

After initial undergraduate studies in Australia with Diana Harris OAM, David Barnard moved to the UK where he was accepted into the prestigious Britten-Pears School, British Youth Opera and Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now program. His UK-based career then began, spanning; opera, song and chamber music with recitals, radio broadcasts, alongside his work as a vocal coach and teacher. David has collaborated with numerous instrumentalists, including members of the Australian Defence Force, New Zealand String Quartet, the BBC, London, Adelaide, Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne, Royal Concertgebouw, Antwerp, New Zealand Symphony & Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as playing orchestral piano & celeste for the Melbourne, Adelaide, New Zealand & BBC Symphony Orchestras.

David is most celebrated for his recital work with singers, including; Janis Kelly, Richard Suart, Sarah Fox, Lesley Garrett CBE, Rosamund Illing, José Carbó, Elizabeth Campbell and Robert Tucker. Piano duet partners have included Malcolm Martineau OBE and Leslie Howard. Radio credits include, BBC Radio 3, BBC Scotland, RTÉ, 3mbs Melbourne, 5mbs Adelaide, ABC Classic FM (Australia) and RNZ Concert. Festival appearances include, Oxford Lieder, London Song Fest, Leeds Lieder+, Edinburgh & Buxton Fringe Festivals, as well as many guest appearances, gala performances, and concert tours, in Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

In 2013, David returned to the Southern Hemisphere, and worked as Head of Music for the State Opera of South Australia, whilst working concurrently for the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. David also worked in New Zealand where he was the Head of Accompanying and Vocal Coaching, at the New Zealand School of Music. During his time in the Southern Hemisphere, David co-wrote a Master’s of Performance (Opera) for MCM, and re-worked the piano accompaniment curriculum into Collaborative Piano for the NZSM, in line with international models. He has also adjudicated major prizes such as the ABC Australian Young Performer of the Year (Chamber Music), the Australian National Lieder Festival and the Geoffrey Parsons Prize. In 2022, David returns home to the UK to continue his investigative work as a Churchill Fellow alongside freelance work, both in the UK and Europe. He was appointed as a vocal coach to the main opera house in Florence in 2022 and works with some of the leading opera singers in Europe.