"Music that sparkles and cajoles in its tuneful caressing of the ears." – Fanfare Magazine
"A significant contribution to the future of classical music." – allmusic.com
"Fully engages the intellect, yet it is also thoroughly enjoyable music. Would that all composers wrote thus!" – Fanfare Magazine
 "I am not good at creating ugly or angry, and I wouldn't want to be - who needs more of that?" – Daniel Dorff

MUSIC BY DANIEL DORFF
 
LISTINGS BY INSTRUMENT: SPECIAL INTEREST PAGES:
Flute Calendar of Performances
Flute & Clarinet Duets Music for Children's Concerts
Oboe Arrangements and Editions
Clarinet Commissioning a new piece
Saxophone Ordering Information
Bassoon Photo Gallery
Brass Selected Reviews
Percussion Discography
Strings Articles & Interviews
Guitar
Piano  
Harp  
Orchestra  
Opera, Chorus, Voice  
Band & Wind Ensemble  


To contact the composer, e-mail [email protected] 

  
 
BIO
Daniel Dorff's woodwind music has entered the repertoire and is frequently performed and recorded worldwide. Over 50 flutists have shared performances of his Sonata (Three Lakes) to YouTube, where there are also over 50 performances each of his In A Deep Funk and Nocturnes for the Nativity. Dorff has written 7 commissions for the Philadelphia Orchestra's education department, and the Minnesota Orchestra's Kinder Konzert series has presented his music over 200 times.

Highlights of the 2024-2025 season include premieres of the magnum opus Cosmic Menagerie for Two Bass Clarinets, and Blue Jacaranda for Two Flutes and Piano; commercial CD releases of Big Sky and Snow Angel; performances at annual conventions of the National Flute Association, International Clarinet Association, and International Double Reed Society; and new publications of recent chamber works.

Dorff's music has been presented by Young Audiences (over 1000 opera performances in schools), the Atlanta Opera (60 performances), Baltimore Symphony (32 performances), Pittsburgh Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, Chicago Symphony Radiothon, clarinetists of the Chicago Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic, pianists Jeremy Denk and Marc-André Hamelin, and many of the world's leading flutists. His orchestral music has been premiered by maestros including Alan Gilbert, Delta David Gier, and Wolfgang Sawallisch.

Other commissions have come from the South Dakota Symphony, piccolo legends Walfrid Kujala and Sarah Jackson, the Colorado Symphony's Up Close and Musical series, Young Audiences, American Composers Forum, Ithaca College School of Music, and many other soloists and organizations. Dorff has also created arrangements for Sir James Galway and pop musicians Keith Emerson and Lisa Loeb. 

Recent and upcoming premieres include:
 * Big Sky for Flute, Viola, and Harp, commissioned by Hat Trick (April Clayton flute, David Wallace viola, Kristi Shade harp), premiered on tour through Utah in September 2023, now available on Bridge Records.
* Concerto No. 2 for Clarinet and Orchestra, commissioned by the South Dakota Symphony for April 13, 2024 premiere by retiring principal clarinetist Christopher Hill, conducted by Delta David Gier.
* Cosmic Menagerie for Two Bass Clarinets, commissioned by the Morii Duo, and scheduled for premiere in January 2025 at the ICA Low Clarinets Festival in Glendale, AZ.
* Blue Jacaranda for Two Flutes and Piano, commissioned by Laurel Zucker for premiere in 2025 and recording on the Cantilena label.

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Daniel Dorff was born in New Rochelle, NY; acclaim began at age 18 with First Prize in the Aspen Music Festival's annual composers' competition. Dorff received degrees in composition from Cornell and University of Pennsylvania; teachers included George Crumb, George Rochberg, Karel Husa, Henry Brant, Ralph Shapey, and Elie Siegmeister. He studied saxophone with Sigurd Rascher and bass clarinet with Ronald Reuben. Dorff served from 1996 through 2015 as Composer-In-Residence for Symphony in C, in which he played bass clarinet from 1980 through 2002.

Dorff is VP of Publishing for Theodore Presser Company. A sought-after expert on music engraving and notation, he has lectured at many colleges as well as Carnegie Hall, won over 50 MPA Paul Revere Awards for Excellence in Music Engraving, and advised the leading notation software companies. He has given pre-concert lectures for the Philadelphia Orchestra and Symphony in C. Dorff serves on the Boards of Directors for the Music Publishers' Association of the USA, Charles Ives Society, Vincent Persichetti Society, Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia, International Low Flutes Society, on the New Music Committee of the International Clarinet Association, and has served on the Board and committees of the National Flute Association.

His compositions have been published by Presser, Fischer, Keiser/Southern, Shawnee, Mel Bay, and Kendor, and recorded for Albany, Bridge, Centaur, Crystal, Azica, and many other labels. Performers have uploaded over 600 YouTube and social media videos of his compositions and arrangements, which have received over 1.5 million views.

updated September 15, 2024