David McConaughey

From Young Composers

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Musician and composer

David McConaughey (34) is a composer of music for various ensembles, including woodwind quintet, saxophone quartet, jazz ensembles, full orchestra, and symphonic bands (“wind symphony”). He has been a composer and arranger since 1988 after encouragement from a high school teacher. A multi-instrumentalist focusing on the woodwind family, he feels that his hands-on experience has led to an understanding of effective composition for the various instruments.

David has studied and performed professionally on the following instruments:

• Piccolo, C Flute, Alto Flute in G, Bass Flute in C
• Oboe, English Horn (cor anglais), Bassoon
• Eb Clarinet, Bb/A Clarinet, Alto Clarinet in Eb, Bb Bass Clarinet, EEb Contra-alto Clarinet, BBb Contrabass Clarinet
• Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass Saxophone
• Recorder (all sizes)
• Keyboard percussion, e.g. vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, etc.
• Voice: Bass-Baritone/Countertenor

David has performed with orchestras, symphonic bands, mixed ensembles, and small ensembles, and has extensive experience performing for theatre orchestras, where his ability as a multi-instrumentalist is most appreciated.

Compositions

In style, his compositions range from 12-tone, aleatoric, and absurdist, to neo-classical and neo-romantic works. His preferred ensemble is the Wind Symphony, in which he endeavors to treat instrumentalists with a high degree of independence with little unnecessary doubling, typical of a chamber ensemble, to avoid the stereotypical “band” sound. He tends to avoid the endemic “safe” orchestration and attempts to challenge instrumentalists with interesting parts, and bring out the true colors of the ensemble.

Partial list of works

• Symphony #1 – wind symphony
• Introduction & Allegro – wind symphony (commission)

• Tone Poem - “Masque of the Red Death” – wind symphony (retracted, formerly “Symphony #2”)
• Suite for theatre orchestra – mixed ensemble (unfinished, cannibalized)
• Dance – mixed ensemble
• Loud Piece – unaccompanied spoken voices
• Prelude to the Afternoon of a Phone – unaccompanied spoken voices
• “…the lazy brown dog.” – Soprano, Countertenor, and Harmon-muted Trombone (from unfinished “Suite for the rationally tenuous”)
• Saxophone Quartet #1 – saxophone quartet

In progress:

• Symphony #2 – wind symphony with harp
• (name withheld) – large wind symphony