I’m a performer, composer, educator, socially-engaged artist and researcher, grounded in a passionate belief in the humanising nature of music-making.
Welcome...
...to my quiet little corner of the internet - around the site you can find traces of all of the various things I do, so feel free to nose about and turn over a few stones. It's a relatively rural world, and some corners are more populated than others, but hopefully you'll find somewhere you can sit and relax. I've herded up most of the wild beasts and done my best to make it a safe place to wander, but if you come across anything that looks dangerous or poisonous let me know, and I'll send out a party to investigate. Hope to meet you somewhere for a song or a chat.
Use the navigation links above to discover more about what I’m up to…
Also, head over to the Mouthful website for other things you can get involved with, like weekly singing groups, special projects and loads more…!
m: 07580 078924
About Me
I’m a musician based in Cumbria, UK and my practice spans performance, composition, teaching, socially-engaged music practice and research;
I perform in various guises, as a singer / song writer, with vocal quartet Mouthful and jazz / folk collective The Coast Road;
I’m Lecturer in Music Education at the Royal College of Music and Trinity-Laban Conservatoire, and was Head of Higher Education and Research at Sage Gateshead from 2010-19, and founded the Cumbria music charity SoundWave;
My research focuses on group singing; music, health and wellbeing; musician training; Community Music. I pioneered the use of Sensemaker ‘distributed ethnography’ as a method for research into cultural phenomena;
I lead a range of of community music choirs and projects.
“‘We’ve been delighted to work with Dave, his professionalism and community engagement is of the highest quality.’”
Current / Recent Work…
Songs From Nowhere (ongoing)
A series of (mostly solo) recordings from wild places
Earthsong (2022)
A living installation of singing humans and willow critters popping up across the north of the UK…
Ennerdale Jubilee (2022)
A psychogeography of the Ennerdale valley created for the UK Jubilee celebrations
The Long Way Home (2022)
Trailer for new touring show exploring Cumbria’s Celtic heritage - a circumnavigation of the Irish Sea in story and music, with Jessie Binns
Communitas (2021)
Celebrating the lifting of Covid restrictions with a series of pop-up moments of singing joy across the north of England.
Hello, World!
Lakes Meditations (2021)
Album of ambient music recorded at lakesides during the silence of lockdown. Found sounds, wind chimes, vocals, electronics and special guests Brendan Murphy (tuned glass), Catherine Reding (accordion), Dirk Proost (ocarina) Helen Chadwick, Mouthful, Sarah Verhulst and the Mouthful Virtual Chorus (vocals).
Trip to the Lakes (2020)
Excerpts from December performance of Trip to the Lakes, a new multimedia performance featuring live band, video footage with live and Zoom choirs
The Great Divide (2020)
One of the ‘singing challenges’ delivered during lockdown to keep people singing.
The Journey is the Destination (2019)
Studio album of original material, featuring Bethany Elen-Coyle, Bex Mather, Brendan Murphy, Paul Edis, Paul Susans and Russ Morgan
Fellowship of Hill and Wind and Sunshine (2018)
Award-winning mountain-top singing project, commemorating the centenary of the end of the First World War and the subsequent gift of land to the nation by a group of Cumbrian mountaineers:
National Trust ‘Oustanding Achievement Award’ 2019
Cumbria Culture Best Partnership 2019
News footage from BBC and ITV about the Fellowship project July 2018
Blencathra (2016)
Sing Owt! featured in Terry Abraham’s award-winning film about a Cumbrian mountain
Excerpt from Terry Abraham's award-winning film about Blencathra, featuring west Cumbrian community choir Sing Owt! led by Dave Camlin.