HOME
David Plylar is a composer and a pianist currently residing in the Los Angeles area. He recently completed his PhD in music composition at the Eastman School of Music. David's dissertation consists of two parts:
- A paper, entitled "The Dynamic Contextual Nexus and the Composition of Self; Franz Liszt's Trois odes funebres: A Case Study in Intertextuality."
- A 45' composition for piano and large orchestra, entitled Reliquary.
Other projects on the horizon include the score for an independently produced feature-length film, a new work for piano solo and a new work for percussion duet. In addition to composing, transcribing, teaching and engraving, David will continue performing with his new music group Out of Context, co-founded with oboist Alison Lowell.
NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
June 29-July 19
I will be in Florida as an associate artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, working with and around composer Mark Applebaum and a wide range of artists from other disciplines. I am planning on using the time to finish several small chamber music projects that have been stuck on the docket for too long.
ANOTHER NEW TRANSCRIPTION: Adding to my list of transcriptions for solo piano, I have just revised my old transcription of the Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony. Once the engraving is finished, this work will be available to any interested pianists. I will premiere the piece myself at a private performance in early June.
NEW TRANSCRIPTION: I have just finished a new transcription of Liszt's fifth Transcendental Etude, "Feux Follets," for wind quintet. The work was originally for solo piano, but translates well to the wind quintet medium.
RECENT EVENTS
June 6, 2009
Private performance for community members at Abalone Cove in Big Sur
Sloan Hoffman, horn; Alison Lowell, oboe; and David Plylar, piano
Program:
Gliere--Nocturne for horn and piano
Liszt-- Am Rhein im schoenen Strome(after Heine)from the first Buch der Lieder fur Piano allein; Poesies
Mahler/Plylar--Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony, transcribed for solo piano
Plylar--Fractured Colloquy for oboe and piano
Prokofiev/Plylar--Two Pieces from Romeo and Juliet transcribed for oboe and piano
Reinecke--Trio for Oboe, Horn and Piano
May 15-16, 2009
Although the degree has already been conferred, I have decided to go to Rochester for my final graduation ceremony, mostly so that I can wear and be seen wearing the fancy academic regalia.
My mother and Alison will be coming with me, so it should be a fun trip.
April 14, 2009
I met many interesting people at the launch of DEMAN, the "Duke Entertainment, Media and the Arts Network." It was especially nice to see Scott Lindroth again--twice within the space of two weeks! There seems to be great potential for this network; in any case, I am always supportive of organizations that actively create opportunities for the arts to flourish.
April 2-6, 2009
I went to Durham, N.C. from April 2-6, for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. On Friday, April 3rd (4pm), I gave a presentation to composition students and faculty at my alma mater, Duke University. The topic was on the use of interesting types of series and structural issues in a few recent pieces of mine, including the Guitar Quartet and Reliquary.
December 10, 2008
Dissertation defense in Rochester, NY. Both components of the dissertation are finished! On December 10, 2008, the dissertation was defended and approved. The paper is currently being adapted for publication (in the form of four articles), and performance opportunities are being pursued for the piece.
September 13-20, 2008
Alison Lowell and I toured various cities in western Washington state, as winners of the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle competition. The tour included formal concerts and many outreach performances at area schools.
July 22-25, 2008
Attending the International Double Reed Society (IDRS) conference in Provo, UT
Plylar Music Publishing will be offering for sale a dozen new compositions and transcriptions for double reeds.
June 7, 2008
Ladies Musical Club of Seattle
Performance Competition
Competing with Alison Lowell, oboe.
Winners of the competition--the prize includes a tour of Washington state in September 2008.
June 1, 2008 ~ 7:30pm
Out of Context
Concert featuring the music of David Plylar
First Congregation Church of Ashland
Ashland, Oregon
May 30, 2008 ~ 11am
Out of Context
Composition Studio Masterclass
Southern Oregon University
Ashland, Oregon
May 24, 2008 ~ 7:30pm
Out of Context
Concert featuring the music of David Plylar
Brand Recital Hall
Glendale Public Library
Glendale, California
Current Composition Projects
Warhorse
Piano
Duration: c.12’
Title TBA
Film Score, various instrumentation
Duration: c.90'