David Juritz was born in Cape Town, South Africa and began learning the violin at the age of five with Noel Travers. After winning a scholarship from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, came to London to study at the Royal College of Music with Hugh Bean and Jaroslav Vanecek. During his time at the RCM he won all the major prizes for violin including the college’s highest award, the Tagore Gold Medal.
From 1991 to 2010 he was the leader of the London Mozart Players, the longest serving leader in that orchestra’s history. He made many appearances as soloist and director with the LMP, including his debut at the 2006 BBC Promenade Concerts.
He has directed the Royal Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra and Mozart Festival Orchestras as well as many other ensembles. Other recent performances have included appearances as soloist and director at the Tonhalle in Zurich, performances of the Beethoven and Brahms violin concertos with the Shin Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, the Tchaikovsky concerto with the London Concert Orchestra at the Barbican, the world premiere of ‘Tales from South America’, a new tango concerto written for him by Cecilia McDowall and directing a Beethoven programme with the Filharmonia Szczecinska in Poland. One of his 2013 highlights has been leading the orchestra on Alex Heffes’ soundtrack for the film about Nelson Mandela’s life, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’.
David has made many recordings as soloist and chamber musician. His recording of the Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, re-released by Nimbus Alliance in 2012, has been widely hailed by critics as one of the finest interpretations of that much-recorded work.
In 2007 he took a five-month sabbatical to busk around the world. He paid for the entire 60,000 mile journey through 50 cities in 24 countries on six continents with his busking earnings from playing Bach on the streets. He used the trip to launch Musequality, a charity supporting music education projects for disadvantaged children in developing countries.
David plays on a violin made by J.B. Guadagnini in Piacenza in 1748.