Derek David Spring Newsletternew album, Yiddish song cycle premiere, tour/recording project, and lectures
Derek David - Spring Newsletter
an album, song cycle premiere and tour/recording project
Happy spring, friends!
In the midst of turmoil and chaos, we all find a way to move forward, create, and celebrate collaborator-friends and meaningful music. This year has already presented four impactful milestones for me: a debut album, a CO-NM tour, a song cycle premiere, and multiple lectures.
I am very excited to announce the release of my first commercial recording: Transitions by Jesse Morrison features my Partita for Solo Viola (2024) and was released on Wolfe Records on February 27, 2026. Jesse has been interviewed by Ludwig van Toronto and the Calgary Phil. Available for download on Bandcamp and streaming everywhere. Please share with violists and your cousin who likely moonlights as a contemporary classical college radio DJ.
In April 14-19, the Del Sol Quartet and clarinetist Nicholas Davies (Colorado Symphony) embark on a four-stop tour in CO and NM with my 52-minute Clarinet Quintet “Oh World, Goodnight.” They will also be recording the work in Boulder for a commercial release in 2027. Below are the concert dates:
April 14, 7:00PM — Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church — Denver, Colorado — Tickets
April 16, 4:30PM — University of Colorado Boulder — Boulder, Colorado
April 18, 10:30AM — 1050 Old Pecos Trail — Santa Fe, New Mexico (Presented by Chatter) — Tickets
April 19, 10:30AM — 912 3rd Street NW — Albuquerque, New Mexico (Presented by Chatter) — Tickets
New Gallery Concert Series presents Who We Are, Who We Need to Be Saturday, April 18, 2026 7:00pm
Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music
Rose Hegele and pianist Elias Dagher will premiere my Yiddish song cycle on the New Gallery Concert Series. This labor-intensive work celebrates 20th century Yiddish poets and brings Yiddish into the Art Song world.
Brooke Merrill Subconscious Labyrinths, 2021
acrylic on cotton canvas
I will be presenting some more lectures this season:
March 30, 2026 | Lecture at MIT’s JCL
I present my lecture “Yiddish Music: from the Shul to the streets, to the stage, and back again” at the MIT Jews for Collective Liberation.
April 27, 2026 | Lecture at Lehrhaus, Somerville, MA
Presenting a new lecture on "The Art and Music of the Yiddish Theatre." Register Here.
July 6-9, 2026 | Lecture at Music Theory Pedagogies Reimagined
“A Partimento Pedagogy for the 21st Century” at the Music Theory Pedagogies Reimagined. Conference Registration Here.
