Musicians of sinfonia ViVA

David Ayre
Double Bass

On what makes sinfonia ViVA special...

On my first day with ViVA I was struck by how organised and approachable the management were. I now know that they are also dynamic, forward-thinking, inspired and passionate about music for all. I feel very appreciated and welcomed. The mutual respect that is afforded on all fronts is what gives sinfonia ViVA a unique quality of high morale and loyalty which in turn makes for an extremely responsive and exciting orchestra, willing to give 100 per cent to whatever projects and programs are thrown at us, and always maintaining the highest standards.

On a typical day with sinfonia ViVA...

Challenging, tiring, a lot of fun and always extremely rewarding!

On personal fulfilment through involvement with ViVA outreach and education projects...

For many years I had been actively trying to shake up the way we teach and present music to young people and attempting to take away the 'posh' stigma. This mainly consisted of me taking my double bass into local schools and with a bit of imagination and tomfoolery I managed to entertain a room full of kids for a bit... Now I work for the best music education team in the country. ViVA have given me the skills and experience that I clearly lacked before and now I feel like a valued member of a great team that is constantly upping the game and rocking the world of music, not just in schools, but all through the community.

Do I have a most fulfilling outreach experience? Well, every time I get called up for a project I just know it will be an amazing experience for everyone involved! Every project that ViVA delivers has a magic something, whether it's writing songs about dragons with a hilarious bunch of juniors, or leaving a children's hospice in tears after sharing a really beautiful and moving time with incredible people, if the music makes a positive difference to people's lives then it's all fulfilling to me.

Read full biography (PDF document)