Honoring
David Amram

In a career spanning over 70 years, composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist David Amram is hailed as a creator and educator possessed of rare genius.  Mentored by musical giants the likes of Dimitri Mitropoulos, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, through his unquenchable quest for knowledge David was enabled at a young age to become fluent in musical genres that include Classical, Jazz, Middle Eastern, Indo-Pakistani, Russian, Jewish, Pan African, Latin, Brazilian, Native American Indigenous, and American folk, country, blues, bluegrass, and spiritual music.  It was that uniquely expansive exposure to global musical creativity and traditions –combined with immense talent and burning curiosity– that paved the way for David’s groundbreaking work as an American musical ambassador to the world.

A genuine polymath, David Amram is in fact regarded as an expert in more musical genres than any other artist in the world, perhaps in history. He plays more than 35 instruments, has composed more than 100 well-received Classical works, conducted 75 of the world’s great orchestras, and been a soloist with more than 40 orchestras.

He also introduced the French Horn to Jazz, has been a free-style vocalist and scat singer since the 1940s; was the first composer in residence of both the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Joe Papp’s Shakespeare Festival, and has composed the music for 2 operas, 25 Broadway shows, and 25 films (including the classics The Manchurian Candidate and Splendor in the Grass). He was Jack Kerouac’s musical collaborator for twelve years, while also co-authoring works with a diverse group of artists ranging from Leonard Bernstein, Bob Dylan, Lionel Hampton, Eugene Ormandy, Woody Guthrie and Elia Kazan, to Pete Seeger, Dustin Hoffman, Odetta, John Frankenheimer, Mary Lou Williams and Jacques d’Amboise.  Ever seeking out charitable projects, he has also played in Willie Nelson’s band at Farm Aid for the past 31 years.

David has published three memoirs (with his 4th about to be released), and also gives lectures and master classes on dozens of topics apart from music at the world’s leading universities.  Earlier this year, David released a new jazz album from old lost masters under the title David Amram Live in Germany (1954 – 2013), and this month another new biography is being released entitled The Many Worlds of David Amram: Renaissance Man of American Music.  He currently has absolutely no plans to retire.