about
Short Biography
David Echenberg discovered a passion for the guitar at an early age after receiving his first instrument from his uncle Brian, also a guitarist.
Shaped by the classical tradition under the guidance of Jean Paré at the Salesian School of Sherbrooke (Québec, Canada), he went on to refine his artistry with Rémi Boucher at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec.
He has attended several international festivals in Canada and abroad, performing in masterclasses with such leading figures as Pepe Romero, Aniello Desiderio, Judicaël Perroy and Pavel Steidl, among others.
Throughout his career, he met the composer Alain Gagnon, who in the final years of his life dedicated several original works to him (published by Doberman-Yppan), which he later premiered.
His work in music therapy in a palliative care setting at the Saint-François d’Assise Hospital deeply enriched his musical sensibility, bringing greater depth to his playing.
Active as both a performer and a composer, he has earned international recognition, winning First Prize at the 2026 Baltic Guitar Festival International Composition Competition with his work Le rêve et le rire, and Third Prize with his piece Peace Garden.
Alongside his musical career, he has been working as a pharmacist since 2016.
Concert Review
« When David Echenberg summons the slender muses of his guitar, he becomes music [...] The recital he offered revealed a transcendent inner world [...] We are privileged to move within the orbit of this discreet humanist, capable of soothing both the wounds of the soul and the ailments of the body. »
Awards and Honors
First Prize and Third Prize, Baltic Guitar Festival International Composition Competition; Lithuania, 2026
Grant from the Hans-Jürgen-Greif Fund; Fondation Québec Philanthrope, 2018-2019
Winner of the Conservatory Prize, by unanimous jury decision; Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec, 2018
Master of Music (M. Mus.); Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec, 2018
Recipient of Prix Périclès; Communauté salésienne, 2016
Winner of the inaugural John H. Webster Memorial Award ; Canadian Society of Consultant Pharmacists, Toronto, 2016
Doctor of pharmacy (Pharm. D.); Université Laval, 2016
Governor General’s Academic Medal; Canada, 2016
2 Gold Medals; Festival-Concours de musique de Sherbrooke, in « Recital » and « Canadian Music » divisions, 2016
Awardee of the Pierre Genest Grant and Jean-Guy Trudel Grant; Conservatoire de musique de Québec, 2015
First Place Winner; National Finals, Canadian Music Competition, guitar division, Edmonton, 2010
Recordings
Classical Guitar : A Journey Through the Centuries
An Afternoon with Regondi
Heitor Villa-Lobos : Complete Works for Solo Guitar
J.S. Bach : Transcriptions
Alain Gagnon : Complete Works for Solo Guitar
Choix de mes fleurs chéries (limited edition) * discontinued *
Click on an album’s cover to listen to it !
