After that, I continued my specialization at the Centro de Estudios Neopercusión in Madrid, studying with leading Spanish orchestral percussionists (Juanjo Guillem -ONE-, Enric Llopis -ORTVE-, Francisco Díaz -OST-, Juajo Rubio -ORCAM-, Oscar Benet -ORCAM-, Belen López, David Mayoral and Serguei Sapricheff).
Following that period, I moved to London to pursue postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, where I earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance (Timpani and Percussion) and the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM). My teachers included Andrew Barclay (LPO), Simon Carrington (LPO), Leigh Howard Stevens, Nicholas Cole (RPO), Neil Percy (LSO), Paul Clarvis, and others. During this time, I also studied jazz (Trevor Tompkins), orchestral conducting (Denise Ham), and choral conducting (Patrick Russill), broadening my stylistic and analytical perspective.
I have been taught by world-class musicians: Jeff Prentice, Rainer Seegers, Benoit Cambrelaing, David Searcy, Ben Hoffnung, Philippe Spiecer, Enmanuel Sejourné, Keiko Abe, Eric Sammut, She-e Wu, Joe Locke, Anthony Kerr, Dave Jackson, Makoto Aruga, Chris Lamb, Collin Curie, Evelyn Glennie, Mircea Anderleanu, Steven Shick, John Bergamo, Airto Moreira, Birger Sulsbruck, Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, Bill Cobham, Carlos Carli, George Hurst, Arturo Tamayo, Collin Meters, José María Benavente, Román Alís, Fernando Puchol, Michel Martín, Javier Cámara and Francisco José Cuadrado, perfecting my craft in the disciplines of Percussion, Timpani, Piano, Contemporary and Modal Harmony, Jazz, Conducting, Music Production, Recording, Editing and Microphone Techniques.
I was awarded a scholarship by the Principality of Asturias Government three times in a row to pursue my studies in Madrid and London. I was finalist at the International Keyboard Percussion Competition sponsored by the Yamaha Foundation of Europe and was runner-up for the Deutsche Bank Pyramid Awards, given to innovative performance and composition projects.
It includes numerous orchestras both in Spain (Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo Filarmonía, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Orquesta Sinfónica de Extremadura, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Sinfónica de Gijón, Orquesta Clásica de Asturias, Orquesta de Cámara Catalana, Orquesta Ciudad de Avilés, Orquesta de Cámara Ibérica, Orquesta de la Universidad de Oviedo and Orquesta Sinfónica del Cantábrico) and Europe (Moscow Virtuosi -Russia-, Concerto München Sinfonieorchester -Germany-, WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln -Germany-, Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra -Poland-, Orquestra do Norte -Portugal-, Amsterdam Chamber Orchestra -Netherlands-, the Ulster Orchestra -UK-, the Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester -Norway- and the National Opera Theatre Orchestra -Moldova-.
In addition to my orchestral career, I am active in early music and chamber performance, collaborating with ensembles such as Forma Antiqva, Ensemble Matheus, RAM Percussion Group, Neopercusión, and Ars Mundi Ensemble. I am the founding member of Les Musicienes Domestiques.
I have translated into Spanish Leigh Howard Stevens’ Method of Movement for Marimba and serve as the Spanish translator of Percussion Orchestrations.
As an educator, I have served on the percussion faculties of the Gijón and Oviedo Conservatories of Music and have presented masterclasses at institutions and festivals in Spain, Norway and Poland, including the Festival Internacional de Percusión de Mislata, the Katarina Gurska Academy, the Principality of Asturias Conservatory of Music, the Youth Orchestra of Cantabria, Slagverkakademi Vest and the XIV National Percussion Convention.
Alongside my performance and teaching career, I work as a session musician, arranger, and recording specialist. I am the founder of Cowhouse Productions, a recording studio dedicated to high-quality instrumental production.
I am a member of the PAS Symphonic Committee and proudly endorse Grover Pro Percussion products.
David Valdés is a Grover Pro Artist