David, born and raised in the USA, graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of California at San Diego where he studied with flautist Bernhardt-Ambros Batschelet, composers Robert Erickson and Bernard Rands, harpsichordist Anthony Newman, conductor Thomas Nee and double bass player Bertram Turetzky (his advisor for musicology). After graduating David went to Paris where he continued his studies of Early Music interpretation with harpsichordist Antoine Geoffroy-Dechaume, a student of Early Music pioneer Arnold Dolmetsch, and then settled in Florence, Italy where, since 1979, he has taught Recorder at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Luigi Cherubini".

David has performed as soloist and as conductor-soloist with many orchestras including: Krasnoyarsk Chamber Orchestra, Italian Radio Orchestra of Turin, Radio France-Paris, Radio France-Lille, Radio della Svizzera Italiana, as well as with the orchestras of Bari, Cagliari, Cordoba, Emilia-Romagna, Florence, Harvard University, Milano, Padova, Palermo, Sanremo and Torino. He has performed in recitals and concert/lectures in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland and in the U.S.A.

David has premiered various works — composers Luciano Berio, Nuccio D'Angelo, Ugalberto de Angelis, Kamran Khacheh, Dan Locklair, Riccardo Luciani, Boris Porena, Carlo Prosperi and Giulio Viozzi have all dedicated musical compositions to Bellugi — and has recorded film music for Italian composer Ennio Morricone and American composer Michael Galasso.