Bio

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New York City-based composer and instrumentalist David Crowell is active in diverse genres of composed and improvised music. His chamber works have been performed at the Tribeca New Music Festival, the MATA Festival, Festival Internacional Chihuahua, the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival, the ClefWorks Music Festival, the Everson Museum of Art, the Eastman School of Music, University of North Texas, California State University, University of Montana, Tennessee Tech, University of Kentucky, and Brooklyn College by groups such as the JACK Quartet, the NOW Ensemble, Syracuse Symphony Quartet, Redshift Ensemble, and the University of Kentucky Percussion Society. In New York, his work has been performed at Merkin Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, the Stone, Barbes, Gallerie Icosahedron, Tonic, Galapagos Art Space, the Knitting Factory, and Joe’s Pub. As a composer, David has been supported by ASCAP, the New York State Music Fund, Bang-on-a Can, MATA, Society for New Music, and ClefWorks.

In 2009, Innova Recordings (American Composers Forum) released Spectrum, the David Crowell Ensemble’s debut CD. The day of the release, Point Reyes, a 6-part saxophone piece on Spectrum, was featured on WNYC’s New Sounds with John Schaefer. From a review by Bryon Hayes (Exclaim!): “Crowell’s singular vision transcends genre; no amount of hyphens can pin him down ....” From Tom Chandler of jazzreview.com: “Crowell is really walking his own path in all the ways it counts." In 2010, Spectrum was picked up for distribution by Naxos.

In his most recent compositions for the DCE, David creates musical puzzles based on concepts of rhythmic structure. Hypnotic rhythm cycles, counterpoint, polyrhythms and hard hitting grooves evoke visceral emotional reactions while containing multiple layers of complexity beneath the surface. Influences ranging from African pop music, minimalism and post-rock are processed through David’s "unique take on modern composition." (Bryon Hayes, Exclaim!). The DCE consists of David Crowell (compositions & woodwinds), Grey Mcmurray (guitar), Andrew Smiley (guitar), Greg Chudzik (electric bass) and Jason Nazary (drums).

As a performer (woodwinds), David tours internationally as a member of the Philip Glass Ensemble (since 2007) and has also performed with the L.A. Philharmonic, the L.A. Master Chorale, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Signal Ensemble, Argento Ensemble, L'Arsenale, at the Bang on a Can Marathon and the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. David has recorded with the Philip Glass Ensemble (Orange Mountain Music), Signal Ensemble (Orange Mountain Music), Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean (Epic), William Brittelle’s Television Landscape (New Amsterdam Records), and Ken Thomson and Anti-Social Music. He is working on a collaborative CD with performance artist, Paul Amlehn, whose sound art exhibitions have shown at numerous museums in collaboration with musicians such as Robert Fripp and Joan Jeanrenaud.

In New York, David has taught saxophone, flute and clarinet at Bronx House, Grace Church School, Hudson School, Song of Songs, and 3rd St. Music Settlement. He completed a commission for A4TY, a project at the Bloomingdale School of Music designed to foster learning and interaction between students and working composers. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, David has also studied composition with Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Paul Caputo and Jonathan Dawe, woodwinds with Andrew Sterman, and improvisation with Ralph Alessi, Don Byron, Peter Epstein, Steve Coleman and Ravi Coltrane through New York’s School for Improvisational Music.