David Feldman

David Feldman is an Italian-Israeli countertenor recognized for his versatility as a soloist, ensemble singer, pedagogue, and artistic researcher. He began his studies at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees under the guidance of Bibiana Goldenthal and Zvi Semel. He later specialized in 16th- and 17th-century vocal music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland, obtaining a Master of Advanced Studies degree with Evelyn Tubb and Anthony Rooley.

Since then, he has developed an international career collaborating with renowned ensembles such as La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Ensemble Correspondances, WDR Rundfunkchor, Luthers Bach Ensemble, Ludovice Ensemble, Israel Camerata Jerusalem, Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva, Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Phoenix Early Music Ensemble, and Israel Chamber Orchestra. He took part as a soloist in the Deutsche Grammophon recording with La Cetra and Magdalena Kožená, which was nominated for the 2017 GRAMMY Awards.

Together with Doron Schleifer, he founded the duo Cordis in custodia, dedicated to the repertoire of Baroque castrati. The project explores an interdisciplinary approach that combines historically informed performance with artistic research and contemporary experimentation. Feldman has been a member of renowned ensembles such as Vox Luminis, La Grande Chapelle, Ordo Virtutum, Musica Temprana, Bernvocal, Weser Renaissance, and Accademia d’Arcadia. For over a decade, he collaborated with Profeti della Quinta, with whom he won the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition in 2011 and recorded six award-winning CDs.

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In the operatic field, he has performed roles such as Ruggiero (Handel’s Alcina) and the Refugee (Dove’s Flight), as well as taking part in productions of Purcell’s King Arthur and The Fairy Queen with Vox Luminis, Theater Basel, and Teatro Real. He has appeared in prestigious venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Berlin, Palau de la Música Catalana, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as at festivals including the Händel Festspiele Göttingen, Utrecht Festival, and Israel Festival. A prizewinner in competitions in Tel Aviv and Rome, Feldman is also devoted to contemporary creation, having premiered works by Beat Furrer, Oded Zehavi, and Ella Milch-Sheriff. He is a regular presence on European radio and television broadcasts.

Alongside his artistic activity, Feldman is a dedicated pedagogue. He has given masterclasses in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Israel, and in 2023 served as head teacher and director of the vocal department at the Vanke Meisha Arts Academy in Shenzhen, China.

Doctoral Project

Title
The Unheard Oratorio Ester by an Anonymous Composer: Reimagination through Artistic Research, Collaboration, and Artivism

Advisor
António Vassalo Lourenço and Susana Sardo (co-advisor)

Abstract
This doctoral project focuses on the discovery and creative reactivation of Ester, an anonymous early 18th-century oratorio manuscript found at the Biblioteca Querini Stampalia in Venice. Surviving only in its first part, the work offers a rare perspective on Jewish biblical narrative within early modern Italian sacred music. While oratorio studies often center on complete, recognized works, this project explores how fragmentary and anonymous sources can be reimagined as spaces of cultural significance.
Combining archival research with artistic practice, the project involves the historically inspired reconstruction of the existing music and the creation of two new sections in collaboration with Lebanese composer Yanis El-Masri. The resulting oratorio will unfold in three parts, with the original Italian libretto joined by newly written sections translated into Hebrew and Persian. Scored for piano and voices, the work bridges historical and contemporary sound worlds. Grounded in artivism – the use of art as a form of activism – the project transforms Ester into a space of intercultural dialogue and reflection, building a symbolic bridge between West and East, sacred and secular.

Keywords
Ester; Oratorio; Artivism; Performance; Dialogue between past and present.