Bio

David William Hughes is a performing artist whose work combines early music, comedy, and historical research.  After studying music in Oxford, David lived and worked in Boston from 2014-2020.  His previous projects have included Elizabethan, Wit & Mirth, Songs of Satire and Seduction, Tactus Ensemble, and La Serva Padrona with which he has performed to critical acclaim in Edinburgh, Oxford, Winchester, London, New York, Boston, Cambridge, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, and Adelaide.  David is now based in Freiburg, where he is a doctoral student at the Musikhochshule, working with Prof. Dr. Felix Diergarten.

David holds bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Oxford, where he studied composition with Martin Suckling and voice with David Crown, and was a member of the renowned comedy troupe the Oxford Imps (“Devastatingly funny, *****” - EdFringe Review). As a composer, he has received commissions from – amongst others – Oxford University and Angel Sharp Media, and has had his music performed at Winchester Cathedral, Downside Abbey, Merton College, Somerville College, and King’s Chapel.

In 2018 David wrote, produced, and performed the one-man musical comedy Elizabethan, which played to packed houses in New York, Boston, Western Massachusetts, and London, and to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (“It’s a hoot, a bawdy entertainment, and a display of consummate musicality that brings tears to the eyes.” – ScotsGay Arts). Elizabethan was also selected for historical preservation by the National Library of Scotland. In 2019 David toured Elizabethan in the US, Australia, and the UK, and presented his second solo show Wit and Mirth in Boston, London and Edinburgh (“An intimate delight, I loved every second.” – MusicalTalk). Other recent solo engagements have included the new opera Ami and Tami with the Landmarks Orchestra (“Hughes was perfect” – The Times of Israel), Purcell’s Ode on St. Cecelia’s Day with the Harvard Radcliffe Chorus, and new musical The King’s Ear at Boston University. In 2021-2022 David toured his one-man production of Pergoleisi’s La Serva Padrona (“Unique genius” – The Student) to Uppsala, Hamburg, Edinburgh and Freiburg. He is currently working on an album project which has been funded by a grant from the Ministry of Arts and Research in Baden-Württemberg.

During his time in Boston, David taught music and comedy at the International School of Boston, performed with professional ensembles such as King’s Chapel Choir, the Choir of St. Paul’s Harvard Square and Floating Tower, and directed the chamber choir Tactus Ensemble (“Beautifully illuminated… viscerally satisfying” – Boston Musical Intelligencer). Whilst living in the US, David studied voice with Frank Kelley, early music performance with Scott Metcalfe, choral conducting with James Jordan, and musicology with Emily Dolan and Thomas Forrest Kelley.