David Norville is a media producer, oboist, and cultural changemaker exploring how sound, storytelling, and social strategy can reimagine the role of art in building a more empathetic world.
A founding member of the Black Orchestral Network, Norville has been instrumental in national conversations around equity and representation in classical music, helping to shape policy and community frameworks that uplift Black musicians and reframe the narrative of access in American orchestras. His work with Every Voice with Terrance McKnight at New York Public Radio—recognized as a Webby Award Honoree and winner of two Black Podcasting Awards—bridges historical inquiry with creative storytelling to illuminate how music both reflects and reshapes society.
Through his company Focus On Your Art, David supports artists, organizations, and cultural movements in telling stories that educate, inspire, and empower. His podcast, Black Music Seen, celebrates the journeys of Black orchestral musicians whose brilliance and resilience continue to redefine excellence. As an oboist, he has performed with the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra and served as artist-in-residence at Interlochen Public Radio with the Sound Garden Quintet.
Rooted in his upbringing as a Black, Guyanese-American artist, Norville’s work is informed by the rhythms of church, the discipline of conservatory training, and the conviction that creativity is infrastructure—an engine for social transformation and human connection.
A graduate of the New England Conservatory and Interlochen Arts Academy, David’s leadership extends beyond performance to the broader ecosystems of cultural equity and public imagination. His mission is to use sound and story as tools for socioeconomic empowerment, collective healing, and truth-telling.
Norville’s voice, both literal and metaphorical, calls communities to listen more deeply—to one another, to history, and to the possibilities of a shared future.