David Donnelly

Donnelly graduated from the International Baccalaureate program and continued his education at Washington University in St. Louis.[1]

In his mid-twenties, Donnelly began directing commercials and educational films, selling his first short film series, Think About It, in 2008.[2] In 2010, the Miami-based Consequences Foundation commissioned Donnelly to write and direct a short film that tackles South Florida's juvenile crime epidemic. The film, which features a message from the rapper Ludacris and convicted felons, is screened to Miami area juveniles after their arrest, in hopes of inspiring them to stay out of jail.[3]

In late 2015, Donnelly released his first feature-length documentary Maestro. The crew followed several Grammy award-winning musicians across the globe. Maestro has been translated into ten languages and is airing on international networks spanning five continents. It is utilized as a resource for music educators.[4][5][6] Donnelly is also the author of a viral Huffington Post essay "Why Failing Orchestras are the Problem of Every American".[7]

Donnelly directed the first music video "High Done No Why To"[8] for ensemble Roomful of Teeth.[9] His music video "Vitali Variations",[10] featuring violinist Tatiana Berman, was aired in twenty-six countries.[11] Donnelly is the creator of the concert series Not So Classical,[12][13][14][15] which is a hybrid film/concert experience and has starred grammy nominated saxophonist Amy Dickson and The Masked Singer judge Ken Jeong.[12]

Donnelly's conceptual art has been featured at the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Art[16] and has been acquired by collectors.[17] Donnelly has been a guest speaker at the Curtis Institute of Music and Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. He is also a visual artist.[18]

He recently began a multi-platform project, A Call to Minds which exudes the exploration of culture and consciousness. This will ultimately exist as a web-series, podcast, book, touring exhibit, and documentary feature.

Donnelly is the executive producer of the documentary Gabe (2017). Gabe tells the story of a young man battling muscular dystrophy[19] which premiered at the Whitney Museum in 2016. He is the director of Forte starring Tatiana Berman, Anastasia Boudanoque, & Lucia Caruso and Nordic Pulse starring Kristjan Järvi & Paavo Järvi, feature-length documentaries focusing on the world of classical music and scheduled for international release throughout 2020.[20]