David Tomàs
BASSOONIST · PROFESSOR
Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe
Musikene, San Sebastián
David Tomàs enjoys an international career as a bassoonist, conductor and professor.
He studied in Barcelona and later in Switzerland and Germany with Sergio Azzolini. As a young musician, he was principal bassoon of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester under conductors including Claudio Abbado and Riccardo Chailly. He subsequently held Principal Bassoon positions with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the Orquestra de Cadaqués, and has appeared as Guest Principal Bassoon with ensembles including the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and NDR Philharmonie.
As a soloist, he has performed internationally under conductors including Sir Neville Marriner and Robert King. His solo repertoire has included Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto and Richard Strauss’s Duett-Concertino, performed with clarinetist José Luis Estellés. His discography includes recordings of Mozart and Danzi, as well as music by Couperin with oboists Thomas Indermühle and Emanuel Abbühl. He is also a member of the wind ensemble Moonwinds, with whom he has recorded a substantial part of the wind octet repertoire. In 2018, he gave the world premiere of Salvador Brotons’ Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra at the IDRS International Conference in Granada.
Teaching has been a central part of his musical life throughout his career. A founding professor at Musikene in San Sebastián, David Tomàs has been Professor of Bassoon at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe since 2012. His previous teaching positions include the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona, Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Hochschule für Künste Bremen and the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Salamanca.
His teaching and masterclass activity has taken him across Europe and to Latin America, with invitations from institutions including the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and music academies in Budapest, Geneva, Lausanne, Rotterdam, Porto and Kraków, as well as festivals and musical projects in Oaxaca, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Córdoba, Argentina. His former students perform in leading orchestras and teach at conservatoires and universities across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Alongside his work as a bassoonist and professor, he has developed an extensive career as a conductor and coach of orchestral wind sections, working with professional orchestras and advanced training ensembles on orchestral sound, ensemble cohesion and stylistic awareness. He has twice served as a jury member of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, in 2002 and 2009.