David Donnelly


David Donnelly is an American filmmaker, writer, and artist. He has directed short films as well as a full-length documentary.

Early career

Donnelly graduated from the International Baccalaureate program and continued his education at Washington University in St. Louisl
In his mid-twenties, Donnelly began directing commercials and educational films, selling his first short film series, Think About It, in 2008. In 2010, the Miami-based Consequences Foundation commissioned Donnelly to write and direct a short film that tackles South Florida's juvenile crime epidemic. The film, which features a message from the rapper Ludacris and convicted felons, is screened to Miami area juveniles after their arrest, in hopes of inspiring them to stay out of jail.

Music and art-related works

In late 2015, Donnelly released his first feature-length documentary Maestro. The crew followed several Grammy award-winning musicians across the globe. Maestro has been translated into ten languages and is airing on international networks spanning five continents. It is utilized as a resource for music educators. Donnelly is also the author of a viral Huffington Post essay "Why Failing Orchestras are the Problem of Every American".
Donnelly directed the first music video for ensemble Roomful of Teeth. His music video "Vitali Variations", featuring violinist Tatiana Berman, was aired in twenty-six countries. Donnelly is the creator of the concert series Not So Classical, which is a hybrid film/concert experience and has starred grammy nominated saxophonist Amy Dickson and The Masked Singer judge Ken Jeong.
Donnelly's conceptual art has been featured at the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Art and has been acquired by collectors. Donnelly has been a guest speaker at the Curtis Institute of Music and Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. He is also a visual artist.

Future projects

Donnelly is the executive producer of the documentary Gabe. Gabe tells the story of a young man battling muscular dystrophy. He is the director of and , feature-length documentaries focusing on the world of classical music and scheduled for international release throughout 2020.