Chamber Music
Oboe
David Costa was born and lives in Lisbon with his wife and three daughters. He began his musical studies at the age of five at the Linda-a-Velha School of Music. He later attended the Escola de Música do Conservatório Nacional and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Oboe at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa (ESML). In 2017, he obtained a Master’s degree in Music Teaching from the same institution. He furthered his training by attending numerous masterclasses with internationally renowned oboists such as Hänsjorg Schellenberger, Ernest Rombout, Christian Wetzel, Washington Barella, and Omar Zoboli, among others.
With over 20 years of professional experience, David divides his career between teaching and performance. He is Oboe teacher at the Orquestra – Vialonga School Cluster and at the Escola Profissional Metropolitana. He has performed with several orchestras, including the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras, Orquestra Gulbenkian, and the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, working under conductors such as Christopher Bochmann, Michael Zilm, Joana Carneiro, Vasco Pearce de Azevedo, Paavo Järvi, Günther Herbig, Gustavo Dudamel, and Pedro Carneiro, among others. He has played with the Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa (OCP) since 2008, appearing as soloist in April 2010 and, among many other concerts, taking part in the opening of the 2010 City of London Festival—a performance that received a four-star review from The Times. Since 2004, he has been a regular collaborator with Sinfonietta de Lisboa as Principal Oboe, recording several CDs with the ensemble, including the soundtrack for Mário Barroso’s film Um Amor de Perdição and music by Bernardo Sassetti.
In recent years, he has given oboe masterclasses at various institutions, including the Covilhã Conservatory, the Escola Profissional da Beira Interior, the Ponta Delgada Conservatory, and the Escola Profissional Artística do Alto Minho.
He also maintains an active career in chamber music, as a founding member of groups such as Ensemble Palhetas Duplas and del’Arte Ensemble, with which he has made several recordings for Antena 2. In 2003, he won 2nd Prize in the Chamber Music – Higher Level category at the 17th edition of the Prémio Jovens Músicos – RDP.
Together with pianist Pedro Ferro, he founded the Duo David Costa Pedro Ferro in 2003, developing numerous projects to promote Portuguese music as well as the major repertoire for oboe and piano. The duo has performed throughout Portugal and has released two albums to date, in 2021 and 2024, both entirely dedicated to Portuguese music for oboe and piano, published by MPMP.
Since 2020, he has been on the board of the Festival de Música Terras de Santiago and the Concurso Internacional de Música Terras de Santiago.
He plays a “Légende” oboe and is a Buffet Crampon Artist for Portugal.