Who is David Lang?
“an American master.”
— The New Yorker
Awards: The Rome Prize, the Bessie Award, Obie Award, Pulitzer Prize, Grammy Award, Musical America Composer of the Year, 2013, Doris Duke Award, Carnegie Hall Debs Composer’s Chair, David di Donatello Award for Best Score and Best Original Song. 2016, Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, Richard B. Fisher New Wave Award.
Lang is an Artist in Residence at the Institute for Advance Study in Princeton, N. J., Profesor of Compositions at Yale, and, of course, co-founder and co-artistic director of the legendary music collective Bang on a Can.
David Lang decided to become a composer even before he could play an instrument or read music! Hear the story below:
— The New Yorker
Awards: The Rome Prize, the Bessie Award, Obie Award, Pulitzer Prize, Grammy Award, Musical America Composer of the Year, 2013, Doris Duke Award, Carnegie Hall Debs Composer’s Chair, David di Donatello Award for Best Score and Best Original Song. 2016, Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, Richard B. Fisher New Wave Award.
Lang is an Artist in Residence at the Institute for Advance Study in Princeton, N. J., Profesor of Compositions at Yale, and, of course, co-founder and co-artistic director of the legendary music collective Bang on a Can.
David Lang decided to become a composer even before he could play an instrument or read music! Hear the story below:
In 2008, Lang was commissioned by Paul Hillier to compose his Pulitzer Prize winning chorale The Little Match Girl Passion. It is structured like Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, using words from both the Hans Christian Anderson story and the Bach Oratorio. Listen to an excerpt below:
Lang’s Simple Song #3, written as part of his score for Paolo Sorrentino’s acclaimed film Youth, received many honors in 2016, including Academy Awards, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice nominations.
Lang is one of the founders of Bang on a Can. Wondering what it is? Listen to this interview with David Lang:
Festival composer sketches by NANCY SUMMERS
