Daniel Dorff (born March 7, 1956) is an American classical musician and classical

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Biography and career

Dorff was born in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

, and grew up in Flower Hill, New York, graduating from Roslyn High School.A Compact Disc Recording of Three Works for Flute by Daniel Dorff: "April Whirlwind", "Nocturne Caprice", and "9 Walks Down 7th Avenue." Rich, Angela Marie. Arizona State University. 2010. Dorff graduated magna cum laude from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

and earned his master's degree in composition from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, studying composition with

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

George Rochberg George Rochberg (July 5, 1918May 29, 2005) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Long a serialism, serial composer, Rochberg abandoned the technique after his teenage son died in 1964, saying it had proved inadequate to expres ...

Karel Husa Karel Husa (August 7, 1921 – December 14, 2016) was a Czech-born classical composer and conductor, winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Music and 1993 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. In 1954, he emigrated to ...

Henry Brant Henry Dreyfuss Brant (September 15, 1913 – April 26, 2008) was a Canadian-born American composer. An expert orchestrator with a flair for experimentation, many of Brant's works featured spatialization techniques. Biography Brant was born ...

, Ralph Shapey, Elie Siegmeister, and Richard Wernick. Dorff served from 1996 through 2015 as composer-in-residence for Symphony in C (formerly The Haddonfield Symphony) in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

(USA). His works have been commissioned by such ensembles as the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

and

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Th ...

, and performed by groups and individuals including the Baltimore Symphony,

Eastman Wind Ensemble The Eastman Wind Ensemble was founded by conductor Frederick Fennell at the Eastman School of Music in 1952. The ensemble is often credited with helping redefine the performance of wind band music. Considered one of America's leading wind ensemble ...

, flutists and clarinetists of the Chicago Symphony and

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

, pianist

Marc-André Hamelin Marc-André Hamelin, OC, OQ (born September 5, 1961) is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer who has received 11 Grammy Award nominations. He is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec ...

, and flutists

Jean-Pierre Rampal Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (7 January 1922 – 20 May 2000) was a French flautist. Rampal popularised the flute in the post–World War II years, recovering flute compositions from the Baroque era, and spurring contemporary composers, ...

, Jasmine Choi, Denis Bouriakov, and frequent collaborator Cindy Anne Broz. He has also created arrangements for Sir James Galway and pop musicians

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 194411 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He be ...

and

Lisa Loeb Lisa Anne Loeb (; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with " Stay (I Missed You)" from the film '' Reality Bites'', the first number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

. Dorff has written many frequently-performed recital works for woodwinds, and music for

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind instrument, woodwind, brass ...

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

, and chamber ensembles, including often-neglected instruments such as

contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The Reed (mouthpie ...

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

, and

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

– the best-known of which is ''In A Deep Funk'', a dance suite for unaccompanied contrabassoon or bass clarinet. In addition to his compositional career, Dorff is a

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

ist and

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and was bass clarinetist for the Haddonfield Symphony for 20 years prior to Alan Gilbert appointing him composer-in-residence. He frequently lectures on music engraving and notation, a subject in which he is expert. Dorff is currently vice president of publishing for music publisher Theodore Presser Company; his input has also been sought in the development of leading music notation software.

Works

Narrated works for young audiences

Dorff has taken a particular interest in exposing young people to classical music; many of his works are written for young audiences, including ''Three Fun Fables'', a setting for narrator and orchestra of familiar

Aesop Aesop ( ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE; formerly rendered as Æsop) was a Greeks, Greek wikt:fabulist, fabulist and Oral storytelling, storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence re ...

tales; ''Billy and the Carnival'', a narrated guide to the instruments of the orchestra; ''Blast Off!'', a travelog of a trip to outer space (the score to which was flown by NASA on the 100th mission of the Space Shuttle); and familiar stories such as ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'', ''The Three Little Pigs'', and ''The Tortoise and the Hare'', and ''Stone Soup: An Operatic Fable in One Delicious Act'' which has enjoyed well over 1000 performances. * ''A Treeful of Monkeys'' for narrator and orchestra (or mixed quintet) * ''Billy and the Carnival – A Children's Guide to Musical Instruments'' for narrator and orchestra * ''Blast Off!'' for narrator and orchestra * ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'' for narrator and orchestra (or mixed octet) * ''Old MacDonald Had an Orchestra'' for narrator and mixed quintet * ''Take The Orchestra Out to the Ballgame'' for narrator and orchestra (or mixed quintet) * ''The Adventures of Mary's Little Lamb'' for narrator and mixed quintet * ''The Bear Went Under the Mountain'' for narrator mixed quintet * ''The Three Little Pigs'' for narrator, violin, and cello * ''The Tortoise and the Hare'' for narrator and orchestra (or mixed octet) * ''Three Fun Fables'' for narrator and orchestra (or mixed octet)

Selected chamber music

Some chamber pieces composed by Dorff include: * ''9 Walks Down 7th Avenue'' for flute and piano * ''Allegro Volante'' for xylophone and piano * ''Andante con Variazioni'' for flute and clarinet * ''April Whirlwind'' for flute and piano * ''August Idyll'' for solo flute * ''Ballade'' for alto flute, flugelhorn (or bass flute), and piano * ''BFF's'' for E♭ clarinet and B♭ clarinet * ''Big Sky'' for flute, viola, and harp * ''Blue Jacaranda'' for two flutes and piano * ''Cape May Breezes'' for wind quintet * ''Cosmic Menagerie'' for two bass clarinets * ''Dance Music for Mr. Mouse'' for E♭ clarinet and piano * ''Dark Romance'' for clarinet quartet * ''Deep Funk, Part 2'', Dance Sonata for solo viola * ''Desert Dusk'' for alto flute and cello * ''Fanfare and Hustle'' for brass quintet * ''Fantasy, Scherzo and Nocturne'' for saxophone quartet * ''Fast Walk'' for saxophone quartet or clarinet quartet or bassoon quartet * ''Fireworks'' for flute orchestra * ''Flash!'' for piccolo and piano * ''Flowers of St. Francis'', five scenes for solo bass clarinet * ''Folk Song Suite'' for two flutes * ''For Elise'' for flute and piano * ''Hot Spots'' for B♭ Clarinet and English Horn * ''In a Deep Funk'' dance set for solo contrabassoon (or bass clarinet) * ''Invention after BWV 1013'' for two flutes * ''Invention on Mozart's 11-tone Surprise'' for flute and clarinet * ''It Takes Four to Tango'' for sax quartet or clarinet quartet (or many other instrumentations) * ''Midsummer Daydream'' for flute, viola, and harp * ''Nocturnes for the Nativity'' for solo flute * ''Pastorale (Souvenirs du Frög)'' for clarinet and piano * ''Perennials'' for flute, clarinet, and piano * ''Perfect Storm'' for piccolo, flute, and piano * ''Romanza on a theme of Rochberg'' for solo piano * ''Serenade for Flute and Harp'' * ''Serenade to Eve, After Rodin'' for flute and guitar * ''Shadows'' for solo timpani * ''Snow Angel'' for flute and piano * ''Slippery Slopes'' for mixed clarinet sextet or ensemble * ''Sonata (Spirit of the Hudson)'' for bass flute and piano * ''Sonata (Three Lakes)'' for flute and piano * ''Sonatina d'Amore'' for two contrabassoons or two bass clarinets * ''Sonatine de Giverny'' for piccolo and piano * ''Songs of the Open Road (Five Inspirations from

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

)'' for solo flute * ''Spark'' for solo viola * ''Swans'' for 2 alto flutes and piano * ''The Day Things Went Wrong at the Pet Store – 11 Cartoons for Piano'' * ''Three Dance Etudes'' for marimba duo or ensemble * ''The Seven Chakras'' for tenor saxophone and piano * ''The Three Little Pigs'' for narrator, violin, and cello * ''Three Romances'' for flute and clarinet * ''The Year of the Rabbit'' for flute quartet or ensemble * ''Through a Misty Arch'' for flute ensemble * ''Trees (after the poem by

Joyce Kilmer Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an American people, American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees (poem), Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection ''Trees and Other Poems'' in ...

)'' for solo flute with narration * ''Tweet'' for solo piccolo * ''The Seven Chakras'' for tenor saxophone and piano * ''Two Cats'' for flute and clarinet * ''Woodland Reverie'' for solo flute or solo bass clarinet * ''Zoe & Xena'' for piccolo and bass clarinet

Selected orchestral music

Some

l pieces composed by Dorff include: * ''A Treeful of Monkeys'' for narrator with orchestra or mixed quintet * ''Allegro Volante'' for xylophone and orchestra (or band) * ''Billy and the Carnival: A Children's Guide to Musical Instruments'' for narrator and orchestra * ''Blast Off!'' for narrator and orchestra * ''Concertino'' for flute and orchestra (or piano) * ''Concerto for Contrabassoon'' with clarinet, horn, and strings * ''Concerto No. 2'' for clarinet and orchestra * ''Flash!'' for piccolo and orchestra * ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'' for narrator with orchestra or mixed octet * ''Pachelbel's Christmas (A Merry Melange)'' for orchestra * ''Philly Rhapsody'' for orchestra * ''Stone Soup: An Operatic Fable in One Act'', an opera for young audiences with soloists, mixed choir, and accompaniment * ''Summer Solstice'' Concerto for clarinet and string orchestra * ''Take the Orchestra Out to the Ballgame'' for narrator and orchestra * ''The Kiss (after a painting by

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (14 July 1862 – 6 February 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His work helped define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt is known for his paintings, murals, sket ...

)'' for orchestra * ''Three Fun Fables'' for narrator and orchestra or mixed octet * ''The Tortoise and the Hare'' for narrator and orchestra or mixed octet * ''Symphony of Delusions''

Discography

* ''Andante con Variazioni'' (

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. In May 2024, Albany Records wa ...

TROY 1404), Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet * ''April Whirlwind'' (private label), Angela Massey flute, Vahan Sargsyan piano * ''August Idyll'' (Cantilena Records 66042–2), Laurel Zucker solo flute * ''August Idyll'' (private label), Kristen Stoner * ''Billy and the Carnival: A Children's Guide to the Instruments'' (

Bridge Records Bridge Records is an independent record label that specializes in classical music located in New Rochelle, New York. History A classical guitarist, David Starobin recorded the Boccherini Guitar Quintet in E minor in the 1970s. This was his firs ...

9229), Ukee Washington narrator, Rossen Milanov conducting Symphony in C * ''Blast Off'' (

9229), Ukee Washington narrator, Rossen Milanov conducting Symphony in C * ''Dances and Canons'' (

TROY 1404), Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet * ''Fast Walk'' (Meister Music MM-1016 and MM-1133), Harmo Saxophone Quartet * ''Flash!'' (90002, distr.

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...

), Gudrun Hinze piccolo, Markus Zügehor piano\\\ https://www.amazon.com/PicCollage-Gudrun-Hinze/dp/B006W0YJH2/ref=sr_1_cc_4?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1468697377&sr=1-4-catcorr&keywords=gudrun+hinze * ''Flash!'' (private label), Kate Prestia-Schaub piccolo, Martin Kennedy piano * ''Flash!'' (Numar Un MM 52–16), Nicola Mazzanti piccolo, Ferdinando Mussutto piano * ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'' (

92292), Ann Crumb narrator, Rossen Milanov conducting Symphony in C * ''It Takes Four to Tango'' (Farao Classics B108011), Interclarinet Ensemble * ''It Takes Four to Tango'' (Meister Music MM-1016), Harmo Saxophone Quartet * ''It Takes Four to Tango'' (Sea Breeze Records SEAB 3059), The Miles Osland Saxophone Quartet * ''Meditation at Perkiomen Creek'' ( Azica Records 71349), Yolanda Kondonassis, harp * ''9 Walks Down 7th Avenue'' ( Azica Records 71257), Pamela Youngblood flute, Gabriel Bita piano * ''Nocturne Caprice'' (private label), Mimi Stillman solo flute * ''Pastorale (Souvenirs du Frög)'' (

TROY 1404), Shannon Scott clarinet, Rajung Yang piano * ''Perennials'' (

TROY 1404), Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet, Rajung Yang piano * ''Serenade to Eve (after Rodin)'' (Barking Dog Records), Deborah Harris flute, Mike Coates guitar * ''Serenade to Eve (after Rodin)'' (private label), Jenny Cline flute, Carlos Cuestas guitar * ''Sonata (Three Lakes)'' ( Centaur Records CRC 3525), Patricia Surman flute, Kostas Chardas piano * ''Sonatina d'Amore'' ( Crystal Records CD 349), Burl Lane and Susan Nigro contrabassoons * ''Sonatine de Giverny'' ( Crystal Records CD 713), Lois Herbine piccolo, Charles Abramovic piano * ''Sonatine de Giverny'' (Talanton TAL 90002, distr.

), Gudrun Hinze piccolo, Markus Zügehor piano * ''The Three Little Pigs'' (New Focus Recordings FCR108), Auricolae Ensemble * ''Three Fun Fables'' (

92292), Ann Crumb narrator, Rossen Milanov conducting Symphony in C * ''Three Little Waltzes'' (

TROY 1404), Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet * ''Three Romances'' (

TROY 1404), Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet * ''Two Cats'' (

TROY 1404), Leonard Garrison flute, Shannon Scott clarinet * ''Zoe & Xena: A Romp in the Park'' (

TROY 1652), Leonard Garrison piccolo, Shannon Scott bass clarinet

References

External links

Daniel Dorff's website

Daniel Dorff's page at Theodore Presser Company

Daniel Dorff Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dorff, Daniel 1956 births Roslyn High School alumni People from Flower Hill, New York Musicians from New Rochelle, New York Living people 21st-century American classical composers 20th-century American classical composers American male classical composers Cornell University alumni American classical saxophonists 20th-century American saxophonists 21st-century American saxophonists Classical musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians