David Waterman, born in Leeds, studied philosophy for six years at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a Research Scholarship and MA and PhD degrees, and was a tutor to final-year philosophy undergraduates. At the same time he studied cello privately with Martin Lovett, William Pleeth and Jane Cowan.
He was the cellist of the world-renowned Endellion Quartet (1979-2021) for all of its 42 years. The Quartet recorded mainstream repertoire for Warner Classics, EMI, Virgin Classics, and others. They were Quartet in Residence at Cambridge University for over 28 years and received the RPS Award. They were broadcast hundreds of times on BBC Radio 3 and TV.
David has also performed chamber music with members of the former Amadeus Quartet, the Belcea, Castalian, Chilingirian, and Elias Quartets, Joshua Bell, Michael Collins, Imogen Cooper, Jeremy Denk , Julia Fischer, Ivry Gitlis, Isabelle Faust , Steven Isserlis, Mark Padmore, Sándor Végh and Tabea Zimmerman, among others.
He has taught at the Yehudi Menuhin School, the RAM, the Guildhall, RNCM, the Menuhin Academy at Gstaad, in Germany, and at Yale, MIT, and Bloomington in the USA, and for IMUSE in Belgium. He coaches regularly for IMS Prussia Cove, where he has taken the chamber music, cello, and violin classes. He has participated in three IMS Tours. He also mentors and coaches quartets for chamberStudio.
He has curated several chamber series in Leeds and in JW3 London.
He contributed a chapter to the Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet, and has published articles in The Guardian, Strad Magazine, Quodlibet and Philosophy in Cambridge.
He plays on a J.B. Guadagnini cello which he shares with Steven Isserlis.