David Carpenter

David Aaron Carpenter is an American violist. He was born in Great Neck, NY, the youngest of three musical siblings. His mother, Grace, was of Iraqi Jewish descent and raised her three children with a strong emphasis on musical training. David learned the violin at the age of six and the viola at eleven and, at sixteen, chose to focus on the viola. Performing widely, including at the local synagogue, and attending the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, as well as music schools in Italy and Switzerland, Carpenter also earned a BA from Princeton University, graduating in 2008. He then performed and collaborated with well-known musicians, won numerous awards, and recorded several albums. He and his siblings cofounded Carpenter Fine Violins, a company that deals in rare and expensive violins. They also started the Salomé Chamber Orchestra, which played classical music, often for charities, without a conductor.