Carpenter '08 to release debut album

At age 22, however, David Carpenter ’08 says he is trying to change that. With his debut album set to be officially released in September, violist Carpenter is adding to his already extensive resume, to become what Princeton University Orchestra (PUO) director Michael Pratt calls a “dominating figure” in the musical world.

“I love to get on stage and perform. As a viola soloist, I feel I have a responsibility to promote new and exciting works to a broader audience,” Carpenter said in an e-mail.

Though the new recording’s official release date is in September, it will be available for purchase earlier. The album will feature Carpenter’s performances of the Elgar Cello Concerto and the Schnittke Viola Concerto in collaboration with the London Philharmonia Orchestra.

“I have never performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra before,” Carpenter said. “Studying the scores with Maestro Eschenbach before recording was definitely the highlight of my recording. The amount of insight and inspiration he gave me prior to the actual recording is something I will always remember.”

The soon-to-be-released recording is far from Carpenter’s first milestone, however. The new CD is a further testament to Carpenter’s success in a challenging field. He was the first-place winner of the prestigious Walter E. Naumburg Viola Competition and the first American and youngest winner of the Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative.

As part of the Initiative, Carpenter was able to study with world-renowned violinist, violist and conductor Pinchas Zuckerman.

“[Carpenter’s] a rock star,” said Pratt , who also directs the University’s program in musical performance.

Carpenter’s path has been far from conventional. After studying both violin and viola at the pre-college divisions in the Juilliard and Manhattan schools of music in New York, Carpenter was forced to choose an instrument to work with upon entering Princeton. Carpenter chose the viola, the violin’s larger, oft-neglected relative.

“The viola had better jokes than the violin,” Carpenter said.

His instrumental choice has presented him with many opportunities, Pratt said, noting that “David is a staggering talent. Choosing to focus on the viola was a great career move.”

But life at Princeton was busy for Carpenter, who had to travel to Philadelphia or New York every week to study with teachers and fly to various corners of the world on the weekends.

A politics major, Carpenter was also the president of the Princeton Undergraduate Musicians’ Association, a member of the Apex Investment Club and a PUO section leader.

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These activities only made Carpenter a stronger musician, Pratt said. “Everything you do in life as a person and musician finds its way as a facet in your musical playing,” Pratt explained. “And there was nothing not utterly genuine about David.”

Carpenter also benefited from having a musical family: His brother Sean Carpenter ’03 and sister Lauren Carpenter ’06 were also talented instrumentalists and winners of the PUO concerto competition.

Carpenter won the concerto competition twice during his time at Princeton, and one of his winning pieces is included on his new album.

In November 2007, The New York Times lauded Carpenter’s “rich sound … [and] forceful interpretive personality and remarkable control.” Carpenter’s natural artistry has been enhanced by his eminent teachers, including Roberto Diaz, director of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Carpenter’s career is not at a stand-still, however. He will perform at Carnegie Hall and in Switzerland’s Verbier Festival with Lang Lang, Vadim Repin and others. He will also solo in November with Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra in Germany.