Draft:David Nettle

David Nettle, (born 10th June 1956) is a British concert pianist.

Early life and education
David was born in Cornwall and grew up in Redruth where he began piano lessons at the age of five attending Grammar School. His father, a miner, and his mother a piano teacher meant David was exposed to piano playing since a very young age. His musical childhood resulted in much performance experience and prizes for both piano and cello prior to his early entry into the Royal College of Music. As a young performer he appeared as soloist in piano recitals and concertos as well as an accompanist (Geoffrey Pratley was an early influence) and as a result of his interest in the Early Music Revival formed chamber groups and began directing from the keyboard, working with Sir Roger Norrington in his ground-breaking performances of Handel operas and appearing as solo keyboard player in performances of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos with him. Aged 14 he became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and it was here that he obtained his first experiences of orchestral directing. Two years later he entered the Royal College of Music to begin his keyboard studies in earnest, firstly with Cyril Smith and subsequently with Phyllis Sellick; the husband and wife two-piano team were to have a major influence on the direction of his future performing career. He was awarded several prizes, including the Norris Prize and Cyril Smith Memorial Prize, and gained much experience in directing musical performance. He began his formal conducting studies with Norman del Mar and other mentors at this time included Vernon Handley and Sir David Willcocks. After five years of intensive study he left the RCM to begin his piano performing career and ultimately formed a piano duo with Richard Markham.

Career
Nettle & Markham has appeared as a soloists with major orchestras around the world including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra,

As recitalists Nettle & Markham has appeared on the major stages of the world including Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican Hall in London, the Dvorak Hall in Prague, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Singer-Polignac Foundation in Paris and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Merkin Hall in New York, Elder Park in Adelaide, Victoria Hall in Singapore, Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo and the City Halls of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Hong Kong. They have appeared at festivals worldwide including Bath, Henley, Harrogate, Newbury, Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein and the BBC Proms.

They have had the pleasure of giving recitals and performing with orchestras in more unusual venues such as Sri Lanka, Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Syria, Jordan, the U.A.E., Kuwait, Iraq, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Lesotho. In 2009 they celebrated their 30th Anniversary season with performances in various countries including London.

Compositions written especially for Nettle & Markham include:
 * Robert Walker. Passacaglia for Two Pianos. Premiere performance at Wigmore Hall, London 1985
 * Kenneth Leighton: First performance and broadcast of Sonata for Four Hands (Op.92). Also, Prelude, Hymn and Toccata Op.96: Piano Duet
 * Hendrik Hofmeyr: Concerto for Two Pianos & Orchestra

in 1985 Nettle & Markham gave the UK premiere performance of Bruch’s Two-Piano Concerto with the Halle Orchestra and Sir Charles Groves.

David Nettle and Richard Markham are Steinway Artist.

Discography
Nettle & Markham has recorded more than 20 CDs, one of their most notable being their "Nettle & Markham in America" with their two-piano transcription of Scenes from West Side Story prepared for performance as part of Bernstein's 70th birthday celebrations in 1988 and subsequently recorded for EMI Records.

Selected discography
 * Malcolm Arnold: Concerto for Two Pianos Op.104; Concerto for Piano Duet Strings Op.32
 * Brahms: Complete works for Two Pianos.
 * Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals; Babar the Elephant & 5 Histoires
 * Gustav Holst: The Planets
 * Gioachino Rossini: Petitte Messe Solennelle (Hyperion, 2003)
 * Nettle & Markham in America
 * Nettle & Markham in England
 * Nettle & Markham in France