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Biography

New York composer David Winkler has composed over 200 works for orchestras and ensembles worldwide. He has received a Martha Argerich Project Commission, Leonard Bernstein Composer Fellowship, and additional commissions from the Verbania Arts Center, i Musici di Parma, two symphonic commissions from the Suoni dal Golfo Music Festival in Lerici, the City of Guayaquil, Ecuador, the Fromm Foundation, Aspen Festival, New York Philharmonic Ensembles, a BMI Young Composer Award and a special ASCAP award, etc, etc.​

New commissions/premieres include his “Omaggio al LVB” piano trio for the Parma Festival, Parma, Italy (October 26, 2020), “Homenaje a Guayaquil” in celebration of that Ecuadorian city’s 200th anniversary of independence and a new work for Pipe Organ and Orchestra for an August 2021 premiere at the Ocean Grove Music Festival (New Jersey), home of the USA’s largest pipe organ housed in the 5000 seat Ocean Grove Auditorium.

Commissions/premieres in 2019 included his 4th Symphony which was presented in August at the Suoni Dal Golfo Music Festival in Lerici, Italy (where he was composer in residence) and his “Lyric Preludes for Strings” which was premiered in February 2019 in Lugano, SW by I Musici di Parma under the direction of Enrico Fagone.​

David Winkler has been composer in residence with the Vahktang Jordania International Conducting Competition, Aspen Music Festival, the Banff Centre, Opera/Omaha ,the Chautauqua Opera and the Lincoln Center Institute. Previous commissioned premieres include Rhapsodies for Violin and Orchestra premiering on July 4, 2018 at the US Embassy in Ecuador, Toccata for Piano Winds (December 2018 in New York) and his 2nd Violin Concerto, as part of a recording project with the Orlando Symphony in Florida.

Previous premieres in 2016 and 2017 included his Concert Prelude No. 3 by the Karoly Vary Symphony, Prague, Czech Republic, String Quartet No. 4 by the Amernet String Quartet, and recently the Piano Quintet for the Martha Argerich Project/Lugano Festival and the orchestral Concert Prelude No. 2 for the Philadelphia International Music Festival last July and the Symphonic Overture “Forza Vita” for the International Beethoven Festival-Chicago, Illinois:

Other recent premieres include those by The Paris Chamber Orchestra (Dubai, Sharzah, South Korea), The National Symphony of the Ukraine; The Symphony Un Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina; National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia, The Korean Broadcasting System, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, Queen’s Chamber Band (NYC) , Houston Grand Opera, Kharkov Philharmonic (Ukraine) as well as commissions from The Alabama Symphony (Birmingham, AL), Long Island Mozart Festival (NY, USA), The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts National Symphony, and the Aspen Music Festival.

His works have been recorded on Naxos International including the “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” and “Elements Concerti” and on Crystal Records, “Warhol Appassionata”. His theatrical works include the recent one-act opera, “Pullman Car Hiawatha” based on the play by Thornton Wilder and a new ballet, “The Little Prince Ballet” based on the famous book by Antoine de St. Exupery.

He has also received a fellowship grant by the New York Foundation for the Arts (2001)to support the creation of a variety of new symphonic works; and a commission grant by the New York State Council on the Arts for choral music.

David Winkler has served as the Executive and Artistic Director of Chamber Players International (chamberplayersinternational.org) since 1998 and also currently serves as Executive Director of the Long Island Concert Orchestra (liconcertorchestra.org). He is also noted in IMDb for his film score for the award wining dramatic short”The Waltz”, directed by Trevor Zhou. And has also collaborated with world renowned photographer Robert Dutesco by scoring the original music to Mr. Dutesco’s film/video “Universality”.