David Hurd was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 27 January 1950. Prior to his under-graduate studies at Oberlin College, he attended both the High School of Music and Art and the Juilliard School. Upon graduation from Oberlin in 1971 (Mus.B.), he was appointed assistant organist of Trinity Parish in lower Manhattan where he served under the direction of Larry King. He was appointed to the faculty of Duke University in 1972 concurrent with graduate studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 1973 he returned to New York as organist and music director at the Chapel of the Intercession, a position he retained until 1978 when he was named composer in residence for a season. In 1976 he was appointed to the faculty of The General Theological Seminary in New York City where he is presently professor of church music and organist. In addition, has served as director of music at All Saints Church, New York City, from 1985 to 1997 and is currently director of music at the Church of the Holy Apostles.

In 1977 he was awarded first prizes both in organ playing and in improvisation at the International Congress of Organists. He has concertized throughout North America since that time under the representation of Phillip Truckenbrod. He has performed both at National and Regional Conventions of the American Guild of Organists. In 1981 he was invited to perform at the Internationaal Orgelfestival Haarlem meeting in Gouda, the Netherlands, during which he received the diploma for improvisation of the Stichting Internationaal Orgelconcours. He has participated in the adjudication of several major organ competitions. His principal organ teachers were Bronson Ragan, Garth Peacock, and Arthur Poister.

He has received many commissions for choral, organ, and instrumental works, and has composed much liturgical music. Among his published works are organ pieces, choral works and many original hymn settings. His liturgical compositions and arrangements are also found in several major hymnals. He served on the Standing Commission on Church Music of the Episcopal Church from 1976 to 1985. He has been a visiting lecturer at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and a visiting professor at the Yale School of Music. He has taught also at the Manhattan School of Music and at Westminster Choir College. In 1987 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa, by the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. The following year he received two honorary degrees: the Doctor of Sacred Music from The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California, and the Doctor of Humane Letters from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois. In another sphere of music-making he performs regularly with Chelsea Winds, a recorder consort of which he was a founding member in 1993 and for which he has arranged much music.