TAXI

David Stern bio

David Stern has worked as a freelance composer, orchestrator, songwriter and music copyist in Los Angeles. He has done music preparation for high profile clients such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, noted film composer Fred Karlin and Joey Melotti, Michael Bolton’s music director. He also served as personal assistant of the famous singer, Miss Peggy Lee.

Although classically trained and a symphonic composer, David also writes songs in popular and new age genres. His songs tend to emphasize a positive, spiritual nature, and also with social commentary in the tradition of the 60's protest songs, songs advocating peace.

His Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra was premiered at the John Anson Ford Theater, Hollywood, by clarinet soloist Leo Chelyapov and the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony on July 11, 2004. An orchestral work written in response to the tragic attack on New York, “We Stand for Freedom: In Memoriam, September 11th, 2001”has already received five performances. In its short life. Michelle Kinsley of The Star Press wrote the following review of the second performance, done by the Muncie Symphony Orchestra:

“…the pieces written by local composers stole this show … We Stand For Freedom, written by ... David Stern, was quite simply music that every American needs to hear. ”

Two orchestral works on Leonardo da Vinci were premiered by the New Haven Symphony in 2006: the tone poem "Da Vinci’s Wings of Flight," which is based on Leonardo’s fascination with creating human flight centuries ahead of its time, and "Da Vinci’s Musical Riddle," based on musical notes from a riddle in one of his notebooks.

David Stern holds a Ph.D. in music theory from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and has taught at the Mannes College of Music, Queens College, University of North Texas, and Ball State University, Scripps College and Pomona College.