David LeClair is second principal tubist and tutti-contrabassist in Sinfonieorchester Basel. Having studied with Harvey Phillips at Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana, he received a Bachelor of Music with High Distinction in 1976 and emigrated to Munich, Germany, in 1977. In April 1977 he became principal solo-tuba at the Bavarian Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and played there from May 1977 until August 1982. During his entire stay in Munich he studied with Robert Tucci. After winning the audition for the Swiss Radio-Sinfonieorchester in Basel in 1982, he played there until 1997, when in the course of reorganization, the Radio Sinfonie merged with the Basel Sinfonieorchester to form the Sinfonieorchester Basel. In addition to his contractual duties in these orchestras, he has played regularly as a substitute in the Munich Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, the Bavarian State Opera, the Symphony Orchestra of the Süddeutsche Rundfunk in Stuttgart, the Frankfurt and Saarbrücken Operas, the Orchestra della RAI in Turin, Italy, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle in Zurich and in the Zurich Opera.

Since 1983, David LeClair has been teaching tuba and euphonium at the Conservatory of the Musik-Akademiein Basel. From 1985 until 1992, he was teacher of brass pedagogy and didactics at the Conservatory.

Composing has always been one of David LeClair’s passions. A few of his compositions can be heard on the following CDs: “Swingin’ Low” and “The Dragon’s Dance”, both available at Marcohon, and on his solo CD, produced by “Grammont Portrait”.