DAVE NATHANAEL was born in Indonesia and studied piano when he was five with Wenny Pandia, and graduated with awards, including the Golden Award for Solfege, the Prize for Musical Playing, and the Prize for Interpretation in Character Pieces.

​

He began his violin journey in his secondary school with Denny Radjagukguk. The following year, he joined the Camerata Indonesia Orchestra and took lessons with Suprapto Wiro Utomo. These experiences helped him to become the winner of SPH-International Violin Competition (2008). In 2009, he received a full scholarship to the Pelita Harapan Music Conservatory, working with Dr. Tomislav Dimov, where he received the university’s Golden Award, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

​

As a freshman Bachelor, he was invited to play with the Jakarta Concert Orchestra, where he is currently the assistant concert master. As a member of this orchestra, he has had the privilege of playing alongside great international musicians, including the Amsterdam Viola Quartet, pianist Adam Gyorgy, flautist Andrea Griminelli, and soprano Bettina Jensen. He was also invited to play with the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra in Aula Simfonia Jakarta, a concert hall renowned for its exceptional visual and acoustic design. While there, he performed as a soloist as well as in ensemble and orchestra for its concert series, including the children’s concert series and concerts with international violinist Linus Roth from Germany and pianist Sam Haywood from The United Kingdom. Dave is leading Ananda Sukarlan Symphony Orchestra, and is part of its chamber ensemble. He also played with the Nusantara Symphony Orchestra and the Twilite Orchestra. 

​

In 2015, Dave received an invitation to be the assistant concert master in Jakarta Sinfonietta, which made him to be able to work with baroque violinist, Simone Strohmeier. It was through this experience, that he realized that playing in smaller-sized chamber orchestras and small ensembles have a special place in his heart. In the same year, Dave joined with other musicians to form the Quartet Passioné (a piano quartet), the Soli Quartet (a string quartet that performs regularly at the Netherland’s embassy in Indonesia), and The Quintets (piano quintet).

​

Outside of Indonesia, he was invited to play with the Baroque Collegium in Singapore as the assistant concert master and as the concert master. It was while playing with this ensemble, that he met one of his favourite baroque music heroes, Masaaki Suzuki. Dave’s international experiences also include his appearances with the Brisbane Concert Orchestra, the Orchestra Concertino, and the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra in Australia, as well as the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and Opera On The Avalon Ensemble in Canada.

​

Dave’s educational experiences have included violin-solo and chamber-group master classes with musicians from a range  of backgrounds, including Therese Wirakesuma (the community orchestra conductor who ignited his passion in orchestral music; USA/Indonesia), Edward Ted Pople (New Zealand), Lynley Culliford (New Zealand), Chan Tze Law (Singapore), Iskandar Widjaja (Germany), Wei Lu (Deutsches Symphonie Orchestre Berlin Concert Master, Germany), Blake Pouliot (Canada/USA), Meredith Johnson (Canada), and Iris Trio (Canada).

​

He and his colleagues were chosen to represent Indonesia at the ‘III-Красноярский международный музыкальный фестиваль стран Азиатско- Тихоокеанского региона’ (Third Krasnoyarsk International Music Festival) in Russia, which was an inspiring and memorable musical journey. Most recently, he was been given the privilege to perform in a small ensemble that performed music from the living composer and clarinetist, Francois Houle at the 2018 Newfound Music Festival XV in Canada.

​

Despite his extensive experiences in performing, Dave has dedicated his life more to music education rather than performance. He has taken, and being certified from, Suzuki Music Violin Teacher Trainings since 2008 with trainers from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong, USA, Switzerland, Italy, Taiwan, and Korea. He has been teaching violin in his own private studio as well as at the Suzuki Music Association of Indonesia (SMAI) since 2010. In 2019, he was graduated Magna Cum Laude for his Master’s Degree in Violin Performance/Pedagogy at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada, after his study with Dr. Nancy Dahn. During his university-years, Dave is teaching in Suzuki Talent Education Program, Long & McQuade Music Centre, and in Calos Orchestra in St. John’s. He also actively plays in a few ensemble groups. Since October 2019, he moved to Calgary, Canada, and starting to continue running his music school, CENTRO VIRTUOSO, alongside his working full-time in Suzuki Talent Education Society Calgary.