Biography – Dávur Juul Magnussen
Dávur Juul Magnussen is from the Faroe Islands, and started playing the trombone within the brass band environment. He started of in the Tórshavn Brass Band but quickly moved through the compact but diverse Faroese musical scene.
As well as starting in the Faroese National Orchestra at a young age, he was successful nationally with his pop/rock/funk group ‘Lawetz’, and played jazz in different combinations – everything from big band music to his jazz quartet ‘Ben Jammin’. He also became somewhate of an unofficial artist in residence in one of the biggest sea caves ‘Klaemintsgjógv.
Solo work became important to him, and he entered many competitions across Scandinavia, culminating in 2006, when he was a finalist at the Danish young musician of the year 2006. This year is also when Dávur moved to Scotland to study music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Here orchestral music became more important. He was invited to audition for the principal trombone seat with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and in 2008 he won the job, becoming the youngest member of that orchestra. He currently holds the job while continuing a rich and varied musical career. Outside the busy orchestral schedule Dávur is involved in many chamber music settings and also often in solo projects. He has been featured with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with the Nathaniel Shilkret trombone concerto, and was involved in commissioning 2 pieces for trombone and string quartet for the Edinburgh International Festival. His first album, ‘Cesurae’ was released in the summer of 2014. It is recorded together with some of his dearest musical brass and percussion colleagues from the Faroes, in the aforementioned sea cave ‘Klaemintsgjógv’. It was met with critical acclaim for its innovative execution of both classical repertoire and free improvisation. The album, and Dávur himself also received nominations for album of the year, and artist of the year respectively, in the genre Classical, Jazz and World, winning the latter.
Dávur is a regular music tutor in many contexts. Within the Royal Scottish National Orchestra he has developed curriculums for several workshops as well as having worked with young people all across Scotland. Out with the orchestra he has coached everything from individuals, to the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland as well as the recent Dublin Brass Week 2015 and 2016.
Dávur also works as artist and advisor to the instrument makers Courtois, part of Buffet Crampon Group. Through that work Dávur had had solo appearances and master classes across the UK and Scandinavia, as well as devising further education workshops and appearing as an adjudicator for the Norwegian Wind Band and Brass Band Championships as well as several brass and wind instrumental competitions in the UK.
Dávur is currently taking a sabbatical from his orchestral job to persue a range of projects that have until now only existed in his imagination. This includes brining the cave music project to Britain and doing more recordings of music for trombone, as well as more master class tours and chamber music projects.
Dávur Juul Magnussen is from the Faroe Islands, and started playing the trombone within the brass band environment. He started of in the Tórshavn Brass Band but quickly moved through the compact but diverse Faroese musical scene.
As well as starting in the Faroese National Orchestra at a young age, he was successful nationally with his pop/rock/funk group ‘Lawetz’, and played jazz in different combinations – everything from big band music to his jazz quartet ‘Ben Jammin’. He also became somewhate of an unofficial artist in residence in one of the biggest sea caves ‘Klaemintsgjógv.
Solo work became important to him, and he entered many competitions across Scandinavia, culminating in 2006, when he was a finalist at the Danish young musician of the year 2006. This year is also when Dávur moved to Scotland to study music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Here orchestral music became more important. He was invited to audition for the principal trombone seat with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and in 2008 he won the job, becoming the youngest member of that orchestra. He currently holds the job while continuing a rich and varied musical career. Outside the busy orchestral schedule Dávur is involved in many chamber music settings and also often in solo projects. He has been featured with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with the Nathaniel Shilkret trombone concerto, and was involved in commissioning 2 pieces for trombone and string quartet for the Edinburgh International Festival. His first album, ‘Cesurae’ was released in the summer of 2014. It is recorded together with some of his dearest musical brass and percussion colleagues from the Faroes, in the aforementioned sea cave ‘Klaemintsgjógv’. It was met with critical acclaim for its innovative execution of both classical repertoire and free improvisation. The album, and Dávur himself also received nominations for album of the year, and artist of the year respectively, in the genre Classical, Jazz and World, winning the latter.
Dávur is a regular music tutor in many contexts. Within the Royal Scottish National Orchestra he has developed curriculums for several workshops as well as having worked with young people all across Scotland. Out with the orchestra he has coached everything from individuals, to the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland as well as the recent Dublin Brass Week 2015 and 2016.
Dávur also works as artist and advisor to the instrument makers Courtois, part of Buffet Crampon Group. Through that work Dávur had had solo appearances and master classes across the UK and Scandinavia, as well as devising further education workshops and appearing as an adjudicator for the Norwegian Wind Band and Brass Band Championships as well as several brass and wind instrumental competitions in the UK.
Dávur is currently taking a sabbatical from his orchestral job to persue a range of projects that have until now only existed in his imagination. This includes brining the cave music project to Britain and doing more recordings of music for trombone, as well as more master class tours and chamber music projects.