David Therrien Brongo

photo: Piovesan

Based in Montreal, percussionist David Therrien Brongo has carved out a career as a performer, a pedagogue, and a researcher. He collaborates regularly with a number of ensembles; he holds the position of timpanist and principal percussionist with the Orchestre de l’Agora and the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. From 2016 to 2023 he held the principal percussion position in Ensemble Paramirabo. Therrien Brongo also plays in numerous other ensembles like the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Sixtrum Percussion Ensemble, and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne.

Therrien Brongo obtained his doctorate in music performance from the Schulich School of Music of McGill University under the tutelage of Fabrice Marandola, where he conducted research, financed by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, pertaining to solo percussion works in Quebec. He previously studied at the Université de Montréal as well as at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Over the course of his career, Therrien Brongo has earned several prizes and grants: fourth place at the 2021 Prix d’Europe competition, a grant from the Fondation Père Lindsay as well as various Prix Opus and JUNO award nominations with Ensemble Paramirabo. Therrien Brongo is an artist endorser of Bergerault and Dream Cymbals and Gongs.

Albums

Confluence

Release Date: October 27, 2023
Catalog Number: RR8095
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Percussion
Montréal percussionist David Therrien Brongo dexterously creates dynamic musical worlds on CONFLUENCE, a highly melodic album of solo percussion compositions by French Canadian contemporary composers. Both meditative and stimulating, the album makes for an impressive demonstration of the possibilities of this rare genre. Brongo's world-class performance is not only highly virtuosic in the technical sense, but also emotionally rich, nuanced, and deeply saturated with empathy. There is a zen-like quality to his interpretations, in which the silences are given as much gravitas as the sound around them, and both notes and rests are searing with constant energy. It's a remarkable approach, and instantly recognizable.