Praised by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for her “innate musicianship, violinistic prowess, charm and a beguiling beauty of tone”, British violinist Davina Clarke is internationally renowned in baroque, classical and romantic repertoire. With a passion for historically informed performance, she performs around the globe with the world’s most highly regarded period ensembles including The English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, The English Concert, The Academy of Ancient Music, Dunedin Consort, Arcangelo, The Sixteen and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Davina has performed globally with celebrated artists such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Masaaki Suzuki, Rachel Podger, Isabelle Faust, Nicola Benedetti and Joyce Didinato. She frequents the platforms at the world’s greatest concert halls including Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Center (New York), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Philharmonie (Paris), La Scala (Italy), Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), Philharmonie (Berlin), The Royal Opera House, Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London. Recent performances include the BBC Proms, appearances on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ and ‘Inside Music’, and performing at Their Majesties Coronation for which she received a medal.
Davina’s rich and award-winning orchestral discography includes J.S Bach’s Magnificat in E and Missa in F, Mass in B Minor, Easter Oratorio and Actus Tragicus; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Symphonies 2 & 8 and Symphonies 5 & 7, all under Sir John Eliot Gardiner; G.F Handel’s Brockes Passion separately with both Academy of Ancient Music and Arcangelo, Dussek’s Messa Solemnelle, Eccles’ Semele and Mozart’s Piano Concertos (soloist Robert Levin) with Academy of Ancient Music and also CPE Bach’s Cello Concertos with Nicholas Alstaedt and Arcangelo. She recently collaborated with Trevor Pinnock and Alison Balsom on their new album, ‘Baroque Concertos’.
In 2022, Davina released her debut solo album, ‘Sweet Stillness’ alongside soprano Mary Bevan. Described as ‘luminous’ in a 4-star review by BBC Music Magazine, the album features Handel’s ‘Neun Deutche Arien’ and a selection of his violin sonatas.
2024 sees Davina release her second solo album, ‘The Art of Obligato’ which focuses on works by J.S Bach from his cantatas and violin sonatas. She is joined by Hugh Cutting (alto) and Nick Pritchard (tenor). The album was chosen by BBC Radio 3 as ‘Album of the Week’ on Essential Classics. It also featured in The Strad Magazine and Gramophone Magazine.
Davina studied her Masters at The Royal Academy of Music under Rachel Podger and Simon Standage as a Golden Charitable Trust Scholar. During her time there, she won the Roy Burcher and Tebbutt Exhibition Awards, and was awarded a First Class Distinction and a DipRAM. In 2020, she was made an Associate of The Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) for her outstanding contribution to the music industry.
Davina is founder and host of ‘The Classical Corner’, a podcast which takes listeners behind the scenes of the classical music world today, through discussions with some of the world’s most highly regarded musicians. In addition to this, she is passionate about mixology and through her partnership with The World’s 50 Best Bars, explores the relationship between classical music and cocktails in her series, ‘Martini Melody’.
Davina plays on both a 1659 Francesco Ruggieri violin and also a 1695 Giovanni Battista Rogeri violin. She is very grateful to Sebastian Lyon, The VEC Acorn Trust, Helen and John Skinner and The Stradivari Trust for their generous support.