David Conte - Composer

One of the last students of legendary teacher Nadia Boulanger, David Conte has been Professor of Composition and Conductor of the Conservatory Chorus at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1985, and Composer-in-Residence for the San Francisco theater company Thick Description since 1990. He is the composer of over seventy published works, including five operas, a musical, works for chorus, solo voice, orchestra, chamber music, organ, piano, guitar, and harp. With composer Todd Boekelheide, Conte co-wrote the film score for the documentary Ballets Russes, shown at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals in 2005, (now available on DVD) and composed the music for the PBS documentary, Orozco: Man of Fire in 2006, shown on the American Masters Series in the fall of 2007.

Obama's Inauguration January 20th, 2009, featuring Conte's new choral work "An Exhortation",
with text by Barack Obama from his Victory Speech of November 4th, 2008
click here for news stories, video, and complete text

NPR interview: David Conte and John Walker on Majora Carter's "The Promised Land"
discuss "The Homeoming: In Memoriam Marthin Luther King"

or visit www.thepromisedland.org for more info

Upcoming
(click news for more information)

February 13th, 2009
World premiere of "Lincoln" for baritone and chamber ensemble text by John Stirling Walker
commissioned by the city of Concord, MA in celebration of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth

March 14th, 2009 - San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Faculty Artist Concert with Catherine Cook, Mezzo-soprano

March 5th, 6th, 7th, 2009
San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Davies Hall, Ragnar Bohlin, Conductor
"Charm Me Asleep"
(this is a pre-concert performance prior to MTT and Martha Argerich concert)

April 5th, 2009
Carolyn Schuster, organ, Church of the Madeleine, Paris
"Prelude and Fugue: In Memoriam Nadia Boulanger"

April 15th, 2009
Chanticleer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
"The Homecoming"

New CD

Music for Chorus and Organ
Christ Church Schola Cantorum
Stephen Kennedy, Conductor; David Higgs, Organ
Arsis Recordings, 2008
(click to listen to excerpts)
O Salutaris hostia (2:41)
The Snow Lay On the Ground (3:45)