D a v i d   V e s s

David Vess (b. 1991)  is an American composer who is fascinated with subjects that question the boundary between what we know is real and what is imagined. His work often uses music as a vehicle for exploring themes such as endless liminal spaces, the bizarre and ever-shifting world of dreams, and even extraterrestrial encounters. His “glowing vocal textures” have lead to performances and commissions from ensembles such as the GRAMMY-nominated choir Seraphic Fire, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the New Conductor's Orchestra, the Holyoke Civic Symphony Orchestra, the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, the Slee Sinfonietta, the Unheard-of-Ensemble, Shiki Duo, Boston Musica Viva, and the South Bend Chamber Singers.

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As an educator, Dave served as the Instructor of Composition and Music Theory at Bridgewater State University and taught at Miami Dade College during  his doctorate. He won the prestigious Outstanding Teaching Assistant at the University of Miami during his first year as a TA. Outside of writing music, he runs the growing YouTube Channel: Music with Dave, where he helps composers achieve their goals in music with videos on composition, music theory, career skills and score study.

 

Dave has earned degrees from the University of Miami Frost School of Music (DMA), the Boston Conservatory (MM/PSC) and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BM Tuba). He now serves as the Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN. His mentors include Kenneth Frazelle, Curtis K. Hughes, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Marti Epstein, Andy Vores, Andrew Altenbach, Chen Yi, Matthias Pintscher, Marcos Balter, Shawn Crouch, Juan Chattah, Dorothy Hindman, and Lansing McLoskey.