David Kram
Dr David Kram is a distinguished conductor who has worked in Australia and internationally in Germany, Italy, France, Malaysia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, The Czech Republic and China.
He has a repertoire of over 200 works, has conducted more than 30 orchestras and has collaborated with Richard Bonynge and Dame Joan Sutherland, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Mark Elder, Simone Young, Giancarlo Menotti and Lotfi Mansouri.
Born in London, David studied composition and conducting at the Royal College of Music (London), at Luigi Ricci (Rome) and at Adelaide and Monash Universities where he completed his PhD.
He made his first international conducting debut in 1969 at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Shortly after, a series of full-time European engagements followed where David worked as repetiteur for the Grand Theatre de Genève, as Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater in Basel, and as Erster Kapellmeister, Nationaltheater in Mannheim.
In 1978 David came to Australia to take up the position of resident conductor at the Australian Opera, a position he held for the next eight years. He relocated to Adelaide where he was invited to be Music Director for the State Opera of South Australia.
Maintaining links with European houses during the 1990s, David had frequent guest conducting engagements in Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Karlsruhe, Nantes, and Wiesbaden.
In 2000 David was awarded his PhD by Monash university. A highly competent researcher and teacher, he held academic positions as a senior lecturer, at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) where he taught orchestration and was Head of Opera from 1999 – 2005. Leaving the from the VCA after 2009, he continues his association with the University of Melbourne as a senior fellow.
David’s first composition, a film score was recorded in 1966. He has since written a range of music including incidental songs, orchestral overtures, a children’s opera and arrangements of existing works. In 2013 he wrote Ring. Wagner. Animated, an adaptation of Wagner’s ring cycle for children with chamber orchestra, condensed from sixteen hours to one hour.
In 2000, David established More Than Opera to expand the reach of opera to many diverse audiences in the community. More Than Opera continues to flourish with many projects realised through innovation and artistic excellence.
A deep respect for the life and work of Sir John Monash and associations with Rotary, the 0808 Committee and Spirit of Australia, led him to compose PEACE – A Cantata for John Monash in collaboration with Kevin O’Flaherty.
In 2018, the 100th Anniversary of WW1, PEACE was performed in Amiens, France on 24 April and 30 September.
David is married to Belinda and has four children, one of whom, a professional violinist played in the PEACE orchestra at its Melbourne premiere at Hamer Hall on 9th September 2017.
David Kram appears on
Mirabile in Prague
Australian composer John Allan has orchestrated a collection of his own original compositions. This CD also includes his orchestrations of piano pieces by Debussy and Brahms. David Kram conducts members of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
