Born and bred in Melbourne, David Weaver’s musical career began early when he first discovered the love of composition as a clarinet player. Expanding his instrumentation to include double bass, violin, saxophone and eventually piano, David soon began exploring a more diverse range of genres and styles. From art music through electro-pop and even punk, David continues to perform in both ensembles and bands. This breadth of performance experience certainly came in useful as David branched out into recording and mixing on his own projects as well as for other artists. As a composer, David has focused on collaborating on short and documentary pieces such as the acclaimed AACTA Award nominated Servant or Slave, and the Madrid International Film Festival favourite, Aggie.
With an educational background in psychology as well as music, it is little surprise that David finds particular affinity with the power of capturing the emotive aspects of composition and production. “We explored some beautiful textures and lines musically while navigating the powerful content of the film,” he said when speaking of his work on Servant and Slave: “When the audience connects emotionally to the work through the music – you know you have gotten it right”
David values the collaborative process when working with clients in either a music or post-production setting and working with them to explore new ideas that push the established boundaries. “Connecting to new directors on a film, or artists on a record comes from formative experiences. Through my education, I’ve met mentors, who proved pivotal to my development as an engineer and musician and I am always seeking to instil this in the next generation of creative professionals”.
It is David’s breadth of experience and approach to collaboration and mentoring that has brought him into the lecturing team at Abbey Road Institute Melbourne. If working and collaborating with someone like David everyday interests you, then contact the institute today to learn more about our music production program!