Daniel Dorff

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Daniel Dorff (born March 7, 1956 in New Rochelle, New York) is an American composer. He graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University and earned his master's degree in composition from the University of Pennsylvania, studying composition with George Rochberg, George Crumb, Karel Husa, Henry Brant, Ralph Shapey, Elie Siegmeister, and Richard Wernick. Dorff is currently composer-in-residence for the Haddonfield Symphony. His works have been commissioned by such ensembles as the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra, and performed by groups and individuals including the Baltimore Symphony, Eastman Wind Ensemble, Chicago Symphony chamber ensembles, pianist Marc-André Hamelin, clarinetist John Bruce Yeh, and flutist Donald Peck.

Dorff has written works for orchestra, concert band, piano, chorus, and a variety of chamber ensembles, including such oft-neglected groups as the contrabassoon duet. He has taken a particular interest in exposing young people to classical music; many of his works are written for young audiences, including Three Fun Fables, a setting for narrator and orchestra of familiar Aesop tales.

In addition to his compositional career, Dorff is a clarinetist and saxophonist; he was previously bass clarinetist for the Haddonfield Symphony, as well as having performed his own works. He frequently lectures on music engraving and notation, a subject he is expert in. Dorff is currently vice president of publishing for music publisher Theodore Presser; his input has also been sought in the development of leading music notation software.

[edit] Selected works

Alleluia in D, mixed choir
April Whirlwind, flute and piano
Blast Off! for narrator and orchestra, commissioned by Lockheed Martin and the Haddonfield Symphony
Concerto for Contrabassoon, with clarinet, horn, and strings
Concerto for Solo Percussion and Orchestra
Deep Funk Pt. 2, viola solo
Fast Walk, saxophone quartet
Hot Spots, tenor saxophone and piano
In a Deep Funk, contrabassoon solo
It Takes Four to Tango, clarinet quartet (or various alternate instrumentations)
The Kiss, orchestra, after a painting by Gustav Klimt
Pastorale (Souvenirs du Frög), clarinet and piano
Serenade to Eve, After Rodin, flute and guitar
Sonatina d'Amore, contrabassoon duet
Sonatine de Giverny, piccolo and piano
Stone Soup: An Operatic Fable in One Act, an opera for young audiences with soloists, mixed choir, and accompaniment
Summer Solstice, clarinet and strings
Three Fun Fables, narrator and chamber orchestra
Three Mysteries, violin and percussion