Dafna Naphtali is an American composer, guitarist, and singer. A 2023

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

, she formed the duo Mechanique(s) and released the album ''What Is It Like To Be A Bat?'' (2003).

Biography

After spending a few years playing piano as a child, she began composing while she was a student at

Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School ( ) is a co-ed, State school, public, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school in Manhattan, New York City. The school, commonly called "Stuy" ( ) by its students, faculty, a ...

. She studied at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, where she got a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz vocal performance and a Master of Music degree in music technology. While at NYU, she discovered

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

, a MIDI software which she would later use for most of her compositions. In November 2000, her piece Landmine was performed at

Kathleen Supové Kathleen Supové is an American pianist specializing in modern classical music. She has premiered the works of dozens of composers on her Exploding Piano series. Her recitals involve recitation, costume, theatrical elements such as lighting, and ...

and Lisa Celia's NYU concert. She and Hans Tammen formed the duo Mechanique(s);

Allan Kozinn Allan Kozinn (born July 28, 1954) is an American journalist, music critic, and teacher. Kozinn received bachelor's degrees in music and journalism from Syracuse University in 1976. He began freelancing as a critic and music feature writer for ''T ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said that they "had the most direct ties to classical electronic experimentalism" of all the work at the 2002 Electronic X-travaganza. She performed for the electroacoustic InterAction series in February 2002. In 2003, she and Kitty Brazelton released the album ''What Is It Like To Be A Bat?'', with Naphtali as electric guitarist and vocalist. She was guest vocalist for Barbez's 2013 concert at

(Le) Poisson Rouge (Le) Poisson Rouge (often referred to as LPR) is a music venue and multimedia art cabaret in New York City founded in 2008 by Justin Kantor and David Handler on the former site of the Village Gate at 158 Bleecker Street. The performance space was ...

. In 2023, she was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in Music Composition. She worked for NYU as an adjunct faculty member, before being promoted to full-time in 2024 as a visiting professor. She is also a part-time assistant professor in music at

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

. She trained in voice pedagogy at

Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia, United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools and colleges. Shenandoah University is one of five Unit ...

. She has also written a few book chapters and blog posts on music.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naphtali, Dafna Living people 21st-century American composers 21st-century American women composers Electroacoustic music composers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American women guitarists American experimental guitarists Stuyvesant High School alumni New York University alumni The New School alumni