David Johnson

David joined the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2022.

Growing up in Sydney, he developed a passion for music from an early age, initially learning piano before moving to his chosen instrument, the trumpet, at the age of eight.

In 2018, David graduated with a Bachelor of Music performance degree from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. During this time, he studied with Andrew Evans and played in masterclasses for musicians such as Stanley Friedman and Markus Würsch. While studying, David was involved in a variety of conservatorium ensembles and was principal trumpet of the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra in 2017.

David has performed as guest principal trumpet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra and as a guest musician with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, he was a trumpet fellow as part of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship program.

In 2019, David premiered a trumpet concerto written by Callum O’Reilly with the Willoughby Symphony as part of the Young Composers Award Competition.

One of my favourite things about working with the NZSO has to be the touring. There are so many stunning places to explore in New Zealand. I definitely had a list of towns I wanted to visit before I moved here, and being lucky enough to bring music to them all is a very special bonus!