DAVID DONNELLY

DAVID DONNELLY- OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY

David Donnelly is an award-winning American filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. He has written, directed, and produced music videos, video installation art, short films, docu-series, and feature-length documentaries.

In late 2015, Donnelly released his first feature-length documentary, Maestro, starring Grammy-award winners Paavo Jarvi, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, and Lang Lang. Since then, Maestro has been translated into a dozen languages and has aired on networks spanning five continents. Most importantly to Donnelly, it is utilized as a much-needed resource for music educators. Maestro was followed up with two more feature documentaries focused on the world of classical music, Nordic Pulse, and Forte. The result is a trilogy of documentaries that represents one of the most comprehensive portraits of the world of classical music ever captured on film. Donnelly’s work has also experienced a resurgence of interest with the recent invasion of Ukraine, as both Maestro and Nordic Pulse convey the story of the Estonian Singing Revolution and the small Baltic nation’s freedom from the Soviet Union. 

Donnelly’s work as a filmmaker has appeared in some of America’s most cherished cultural institutions including the Whitney Museum, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Curtis Institute of Music, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and various embassies and concert halls across the globe, including the National Arts Center (Ottawa), Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, the Beijing Music Festival, and the Arvo Pärt Centre.

In 2021 Donnelly co-founded the multi-media production company CultureNet. His fourth feature film, The Cost of Convenience, will be released in 2024. It marks the first of a trilogy of documentaries focused on the merger of technology and culture. Forever Young and a History of Consciousness will follow the release of The Cost of Convenience.

As a public speaker, Donnelly enjoys focusing on art, culture, and technology.  He has interviewed dozens of the most brilliant minds from across the globe in more than 30 countries, resulting in a unique global perspective.