David Collins
With a network of Artist Centres and Ateliers around the world, Yamaha works with leading players to support their performances and develop instrument designs and new ideas for the benefit of all musicians. Yamaha Artists share with us a passion for inspiring the next generation of players, and a belief that everybody should be encouraged to nurture their talent, connect with others and tell their stories through music.
Get to know Yamaha Artist and Trumpet player David Collins
How does your instrument help you in your daily life as an artist?
The 9335 NYS has transformed how I approach the trumpet. It makes it easy to play across the full range of the instrument - It has a brilliant high register with easy slotting and it’s very responsive in the low register. Colleagues have tried the trumpet and all have had the same reaction.
Who was your most influential teacher and is there any advice which you still follow?
Two teachers have had major influences on me. Colm Byrne, my former teacher and now colleague at the Royal Irish Academy of Music is a superb trumpet player and inspiring human being. Pasi Pirinen who I studied with in my early 20s in Sibelius Academy, Helsinki also had a huge influence on me – his positivity, passion and work ethic are infectious and I always keep in mind the broad and full sound he makes on principal trumpet.
Advice for a young musician:
Listen to as many great sounds as you can and always keep the enjoyment in playing your instrument.
Biography
David Collins is Professor of Trumpet and Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and trumpeter with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. He is Founder and Artistic Director of Dublin Brass Week, Ireland’s international brass festival, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of both the International Trumpet Guild and National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. Prior to his appointment at the RIAM in Dublin, he held the position of Second Trumpet & Principal Cornet with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast between 2016- 2018. He performs, tours and records with orchestras including the Irish Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the World Orchestra for Peace. In addition to his work on modern trumpet, David has performed with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Ensemble Marsyas and Camerata Kilkenny on period instruments. His solo appearances include concerti by Haydn, Vivaldi, Neruda as well as Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.2 with Vanbrugh Camerata.
David was raised in County Kildare, Ireland and began his trumpet playing in his local concert band. He studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with Peter Franks and Mark O’Keeffe and in Sibelius Academy, Helsinki with Pasi Pirinen. His orchestral training came through the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and later with the European Union Youth Orchestra performing at the BBC Proms, across Europe and Asia.
Recent masterclasses include visits to the Jacobs School of Music in Indianapolis, the University of Kentucky, along with presenting a session at the 2023 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Minneapolis on “Physical and Mental Warmup for Positive Performance”.
