David Nichtern (born 19 February 1948) is an American songwriter and television composer,

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

artist and Buddhist teacher of the Shambala tradition of

Chögyam Trungpa Chögyam Trungpa (Wylie transliteration, Wylie: ''Chos rgyam Drung pa''; March 5, 1939 – April 4, 1987), formally named the 11th Zurmang Trungpa, Chokyi Gyatso, was a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist master and holder of both Kagyu and Nyingm ...

Biography

Born and raised in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, Nichtern is the son of Sol Nichtern, a prominent New York psychiatrist and writer, and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

producer Claire Nichtern, the first female

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

winner. Having begun practicing music at age eight, he began his career as a professional musician during his college years at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He served as director of sales for the New England Digital Corporation in the 1980s. He is the founder of music-marketing company Nudgie Music LLC, and its divisions Dharma Moon and 5 Points Records. He wrote the song "

Midnight at the Oasis "Midnight at the Oasis" is a song by the American singer Maria Muldaur from her 1973 debut album, ''Maria Muldaur''. Written by David Nichtern, it is her best-known recording. It peaked at #6 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the week of June 1 ...

." He has his own world/fusion band, Drala Beginning in 1970, Nichtern became a student of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

, and was taught by the founder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Nichtern has since become a senior teacher. Nichtern has been the Director of Expansion for

Shambhala Training Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation and a new religious movement developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his students. It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened soci ...

, and co-director of the Karme Choling Meditation Center in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. Nichtern's son, Ethan Nichtern, is a Buddhist teacher and author.

5 Points Records

5 Points Records is a privately held label based in New York City founded by Nichtern. Its sister companies include the world-lifestyle label Dharma Moon, the custom label 5 Points V.I.P. and the music publishing company Nudgie Tunes. The label's first release, the first installment of the Rare Elements series, included works by Sultan Khan remixed by modern artists, including

Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop, electronica, and Brazilian music, ...

.5 Points Records – Profile – Properly Chilled – Downtempo Music & Culture
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Awards and nominations

Nichtern was nominated for ten

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

awards from 2000 to 2006, in the category "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series", for his work on ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'' and ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

''. He won the award in 2000, for ''One Life to Live'', 2001 for ''As the World Turns'', and 2005 for ''One Life to Live''. He was also nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Song of the Year for "

Composing credits

* ''

The Student Teachers ''The Student Teachers'' is a 1973 film directed by Jonathan Kaplan. It was inspired by the "nurse" cycle of pictures starting with ''The Student Nurses'' (1970). Roger Corman says it was one of the best of the cycle. It was made by the same team ...

'' (1973) * '' White Line Fever'' (1975) * '' Sapphire Man'' (1988) * '' The Big Picture'' (1989) * ''

'' (1995–2007) * ''

Soundtrack credits

* ''The Big Picture'' (1989) * '' Perfect Witness'' (1989)

References

External links

DavidNichtern.com
*

at Emusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichtern, David 1948 births Living people Musicians from Manhattan American male composers 21st-century American composers American male songwriters Daytime Emmy Award winners Tibetan Buddhists from the United States 21st-century American male musicians The Beyman Bros members Buddhist artists Columbia University alumni Shambhala vision 20th-century American Buddhists 21st-century American Buddhists