David Snow's musical studies began inauspiciously at the age of 11 with public school instruction in trumpet. Displaying characteristic sloth even at that tender age, he pleaded with his mother to let him quit after two excruciating weeks, citing the obvious fact that he sucked. Mother would have none of that however, making it clear that since she paid for the friggin' instrument rental, he was going to stick it out whether he liked it or not. (Ed. note:Mr. Snow, who likes to make a big show of filial piety, often recounts the above anecdote, declaring that as a result of his mother's example he has made it his personal mission in life to "stick it out." He expects to be released on bail shortly.)

Incredibly, he soon discovered that if you practice playing an instrument daily, you suck less. Shortly thereafter he began making his way into school ensembles, an experience he credits with expanding his intellectual horizons, instilling personal discipline, and making the recreational use of psychedelic pharmaceuticals superfluous (if you have never heard the Cranston High School East marching band play "Ina-Gadda-Davida" at half-time, you have never been on a bad trip).

Mr. Snow, by nature compulsively vulgar, began to turn his attention away from popular culture and to explore the netherworlds of jazz and classical music, assuming that would be a good way to impress girls. Wrong. But the die was cast, the damage done, and with the generous assistance of his high school music director who loaned him scores and recordings to study, the Snow lad felt the first stirrings of the Muse. (Well, perhaps not the first. He had been jotting down tunes and peculiar, harmonically challenged duets for trumpet from early in his career, but without the requisite command of music theory or access to a keyboard, those abortive little compositional foetuses never stood a chance.) The purchase of a piano during his 16th year seriously altered the equation and unleashed a torrent of pent-up creative energy that eventually resulted in his acceptance at the Eastman School of Music as a composition major.

The Eastman experience was crucial in transforming the naive, unwashed, southern New England bumpkin into the svelt, sophisticated man-about-town he was destined to become. Freshman-year studies with Joseph Schwantner exposed young Mr. Snow to a range of composers and musical styles hitherto undiscovered. While at Eastman Mr. Snow also studied with Warren Benson and Samuel Adler, to whom he also owes an incalculable debt. The school awarded him the Sernoffsky prize in composition during his sophomore year (shared with good friend David Heinick, now on the faculty of SUNY Potsdam), the McCurdy prize during his junior year, and the Howard Hanson prize during his senior year (shared with college pal Eric Ewazen, currently on the Juilliard faculty).

Hoping to stave off responsibility a few more years, Snow matriculated at the Yale School of Music, studying with Jacob Druckman and receiving the school's Bradley-Keeler Memorial Scholarship and Frances E. Osborne-Kellogg Prize, as well snagging as his first BMI Award to Student Composers.

Post-Yale, Snow fled to Brandeis University with a full scholarship in pursuit of the Philosophiae Doctor. Big mistake. After granting him an MM in composition, Yale had invited Mr. Snow to remain another year to qualify for the Master of Musical Arts degree (a prerequisite for the school's unique "Go Forth And Make Something Of Yourself" Doctor of Musical Arts program), but preferring a more structured agenda, he retired to Waltham, never expecting the nightmare that was to follow. He should have known, having been warned about Brandeis by well-informed sources at Yale.

It was a mismatch made in Hell. Besides being a little slow, Mr. Snow was accustomed to a conservatory environment with an active performance culture. Since Brandeis offered no degree in performance, the campus was populated only by talking heads: theorists, musicologists, and composers. Aaarghhhh! After the first soul-numbing year he stopped attending classes altogether and devoted his energies to working in the school's neglected electronic studio in preparation for a concert with a local choreographer. To nobody's surprise but his own, he eventually received an invitation from the music department to further his misguided education elsewhere. Although the experience was generally a wash-out, during this period he managed to score a second BMI Award.

Postscript: Mr. Snow fled Brandeis, got a life, composed music, and received the following cool prizes:

• National Association of Composers/USA Composition Prize (1981)
  
• National Federation of Music Clubs Composition Prize (1981)
  
• Annapolis Fine Arts Foundation Composition Prize (1981)
  
• ASCAP Foundation Grant (1981)
  
• Residency at the Yaddo artists' community (1981)
  
• National Endowment for the Arts Composer Fellowship (1982)
  
• College Band Directors National Association commission (1982)
  
• "Meet the Composer" grant (1983)
  
• Annapolis Fine Arts Foundation Composition Prize (1983)
  
• Annapolis Fine Arts Foundation Composition Prize (1984)
  
• National Endowment for the Arts Composer Fellowship (1985)
  
• Annapolis Fine Arts Foundation Composition Prize (1985)
  
• Res Musica Baltimore Composition Prize (1985)
  
• Maryland State Arts Council grant (1992)
  
• Musician Magazine's Best Unsigned Band Contest (1992)
  
• Keyboard Magazine Ultimate Keyboard Competition (1994)
  
• Renee B. Fisher Foundation Commission (1997)
  
• Maryland State Arts Council grant (1997)
  
• Trio Indiana Competition (1998)
  
• SoundMoves Competition (1998)
  
• Pastiche Composition Competition (1999)
  
• Arts Council of Montgomery County Music Fellowship (1999)
  
• Residency at the Yaddo artists' community (2000)
  
• Residency at the Millay Colony for the Arts (2004)
  

• Hasana Tanz for clarinet trio
  Woodwindiana, Inc.
  P.O. Box 344
  Bloomington,IN 47402-0344
  E-Mail:hklug@indiana.edu
  Tel: (812) 323-8622
  Fax: (812) 323-8622
  

• Muted Suggestions for trumpet and marimba
  Nichols Music Company
  49 Tomlin Street
  Walthan, MA 02154-3734
  phone: 800-327-0807
  

• Brass Quintet, 1974
  Seesaw Music Corporation
  2067 Broadway
  New York, NY 10023
  

• Dance Movements for brass quintet
  Hidalgo Music
  88 Tanner Hill Road
  Warren, CT 06754
  phone: 800-HID-ALGO
  

• Elephants Exotiques for four tubas
  Tuba-Euphonium Press
  3811 Ridge Road
  Annandale, VA 22003
  

• Winter and A Baker's Tale, from " Winter," Chris Gekker, trumpet, Albany Records, 2004
  
• Wittgenstein Revisited, from "Noises, Sounds and Strange Airs," Clique Track, 1993
  
• Dance Movements, from "New American Brass,"  American Brass Quintet,  Summit Records, 1992
  

• Aubade/Nocture for soprano and piano (1973)
• Brass Quintet, 1974 (1974)
  
• Crystal Effusions for horn and piano (1974)
• Passacaglia for piano (1974)
  
• Merkabah, a song cycle for soprano and piano (1975)
• Buddha Breath for solo cello and orchestra (1976)
• Sonatina for trumpet and piano (1976)
  
• Effluvia, a chamber concerto for ten instruments (1976)
• Mirele for voice and piano (1976)
  
• Poor Mr. Cabbage! for two tubas and percussion, (1976)
• The Cynic in Springtime for medium voice and piano (1977)
• Eat This! for dancers and percussionist (1977)
• Trio for alto flute, contrabass, and piano (1977)
• Six Chinese Dishes for voice, flute, viola, roto-toms, and celesta (1977)
  
• The Passion and Transfiguration of a Post-Apocalyptic Eunuch, for tape (1978)
  
• Elephants Exotiques for four tubas (1978)
• Guernica for two brass quintets and concert band (1978)
• String Trio (1979)
  
• Reflections for mezzo soprano, horn, and piano (1980)
• A Baker's Tale for narrator, clarinet, trumpet, violin, basoon and piano (1980)
  
• Dance Movements for brass quintet (1981)
  
• Das Lakritzequartett for clarinet quartet (transcribed from Elephants Exotiques for four tubas, 1982)
• Muted Suggestions for trumpet and marimba (1982)
• Sinfonia Concertante for horn, piano, percussion, and winds (1982)
• Dear Rozenkavalier for tuba and piano (1983)
• On Clearwater Mountain for trumpet, strings, harp, and timpani (1986)
  
• A Baker's Tale for concert band (transcribed from the chamber version, 1987)
  
• Heilbaddame aus Hoelle for soprano and boombox, 1990
• Ma Tovu for cantor and SATB choir (1989)
  
• Zog nit keynmol as du geyst me letstn veg, for soprano, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1992)
  
• American Minutes, scores for a video documentary series produced by the United States Information Agency (1993)
• Wittgenstein Revisited electroacoustic music for tape (1993)
  
• The Sound of One Shoe Dropping, for tape and optional performer (1993)
  
• Canzoni D'Amore (1994):
  
  • I. The Joy of Cooking, for string bass
    
  • II. The Joy of Sex, for heavy metal tuba and karaoke system
• Marriage At Work, a musical comedy, with Paul Franklin Stregevsky (1996)
  
• Concertino Marcel Duchamp, for solo piano and digital audio tape (1996)
  
• Etude after Mondrian for solo piano (1997)
  
• Wedding March for string quartet (1998)
  
• L'Histoire du Patissier for clarinet, trumpet, piano and percussion (1999)
  
• At the Rebbe's Table for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1999)
  
• Winter for trumpet and piano (1999)
  
• A Shaynem Dank Dir Im Pupik for 3 tuba players (2000)
  
• Timor Timur for piano and recorded sound (2000)
  
• Hasana Tanz for solo 5-string violin (2000)
  
• Hasana Tanz for solo 5-string violin and orchestra (2000)
  
• A Night in Jakarta for electric 5-string violin and recorded sound (2000)
  
• A Baker's Tale for piano and string orchestra (2000)
  
• Nice Girls Don't for violin, cello, piano, and recorded sound (2002)
  
• Orbits of the Henon Map for Klavier Nonette, an installation of nine MIDI-controlled toy pianos designed by sound-sculptor/ composer/ inventor Trimpin (2003)
  
• A Baker's Tale adapted for trumpet, violin and piano (2006)
  
• Three Studies for Two Disklaviers (2008)
  
• Fanfare for Varian Fry for orchestra (2009)
  
• Gaia's Revenge for orchestra (2009)
  
• Pianiste de Fererrure for toy piano (2009)
  

• 06/11/00, The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Richard Auldon Clark, conductor, Chris Gekker, trumpet, New York, NY
• 04/16/89, The Composers Chamber Orchestra, Robert Levy, conductor, Chris Gekker, trumpet, Appleton, WI

• 07/22/00, Waterbury Symphony Orchestra, Leif Bjaland, conductor, Sabrina A. Berger, e-violin, Woodbury, CT

• 05/09/83, New Music for Young Ensembles, Carnegie Hall, NYC
• 06/11/83, Red Lodge Music Festival, Great Falls, MT
• 07/08/83, Birch Creek Music Center, Appleton, WI
• 07/27/84, Estherwood Music Festival, NY
  
• 11/08/84, Lawrence University Faculty Recital, Appleton, WI
• 12/05/84, University of Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble

• 03/17/83, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble, Thomas Dvorak, conductor, 22nd National Conference of the College Band Directors Association, Atlanta, GA
  

• 01/12/86, The Wilder Duo, Elvehjem Museum, Madison, WI
• 01/15/86, The Wilder Duo, University of Arkansas

• 11/30/79, Yale University Band, New Haven, CT
• 02/12/82, Virginia Intercollegiate Band, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
  

• 12/04/87, Harvard University Wind Ensemble, Thomas G. Evertt, conductor, Cambridge, MA
  
• 04/09/89, Lawrence Wind Ensemble, Robert Levy, conductor, Appleton, WI
  
• 03/18/95, Harvard University Wind Ensemble, Cambridge, MA

• 06/27/89 and 29/89/89, Susan May, soprano, The Composers Chamber Theatre, New York, NY
  

• 03/31/81, Chapman College faculty recital, CA
• 10/26/86, North Texas State University School of Music Octubafest with Jay Rozen
  

• 04/16/86, Jay Rozen, tuba, David Cloutier, piano, North Texas State University School of Music, Denton, TX
• 07/8/86, Jay Rozen, tuba, David Cloutier, piano, North Texas State University School of Music, Denton, TX

• 09/16/79, Calvin Smith, horn, Susan Svercek, piano, Cerritos College, Carritos, CA
  

• 04/23/81, California State University Dominguez Hill Department of Music
  

• 03/26/85, David Heinick, piano, St. Mary's College, MD

• 06/17/78, LA Tuba Quartet (Roger Bobo, Tommy Johnson, James Self, Donald Waldrop), Los Angeles, CA
  
• 03/09/80, Ruby Shang Dance Company, Riverside Dance Festival, New York, NY
  
• 03/20/80, Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY
• 01/30/81, Brown University Dance Ensemble, Providence, RI

• performances by the American Brass Quintet:
  • 03/18/84, Brooklyn College, New York, NY
    
  • 04/18/84, Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, NY
  • 07/07/84, Salida-Aspen Concerts, Salida, CO
  • 08/25/84, Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, CO
  • 11/26/84, Hitomi Memorial Hall, Tokyo, Japan
  • 04/02/85, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
  • 07/14/87, Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, CO
  • 12/13/89, Juilliard Theatre, New York, NY
  • 07/07/90, Salida-Aspen Concerts, Salida, CO
  • 07/12/94, Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, CO
  • 07/13/96, Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, CO
  • 03/19/97, Juilliard Theatre, New York, NY
• performances by the Annapolis Brass Quintet:
  • 03/09/86, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
  • 04/20/86, Anne Arundel Community College, Annapolis, MD
  • 05/24/87, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
• other performances:
  
  • 07/01/82, faculty recital, Tidewater Music Festival, St. Mary's College of Maryland
    
  • 02/09/89, faculty recital, Lawrence Conservatory of Music, Appleton, WI
    
  • 04/22/97, Ensemble Intercontemporaine, Paris

• 05/09/93, Eastman Theatre, Rochester, NY
  
• 11/03/93, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
  

• "The Revolution Will Not Be Subsidized", Symphony Magazine, February/March 1984
  
• "Attack of the Songsharks", Keyboard Magazine, December 1992

• "Dr. T's Fingers", Electronic Musician, May 1989
• "ROM Cards for the Korg M1", Electronic Musician, January 1990
• "ULTRAMIDI", Atari Explorer, April 1990
  
• "Frontal Lobe PCM Channel", Electronic Musician, May 1990
• "Johnsware MIDIBOSS", Electronic Musician, July 1990
• "Steinberg's Cubase", STart, August 1990
  
• "Microdeal's Quartet", Atari Explorer, March/April 1991
• "Dr. T's KCS Omega II", Electronic Musician, March 1994

• "Drumbox: the ST/CZ Connection", Electronic Musician, February 1988
  
• "Beat-It: a Drum Sensor Interface for the Atari ST", Electronic Musician, December 1988
  
• "The MIDI Music Box", Electronic Musician, March 1989
• "RandoM1: a Patch Generator/Librarian for the Atari ST", Electronic Musician, August 1989
• "An ST BASIC Version of Beat-It Software", Electronic Musician, October 1989
• "SampSyn", STart, July 1990
• "MIDI Master Drummer", STart, July 1990
• "Retro-Regenerator", Electronic Musician, August 1990
• "Using Breath Controllers with the Korg M1", Keyboard Magaine, September 1991
  

• Interview with Alex Chadwick for National Public Radio's "Morning Edition", January 28, 1993
  
• Keyboard Magazine feature about "Ultimate Keyboard Competition", May 1995
  
• On-air interview with Tom Whelan on WTRI (1520 AM), Brunswick, MD, March 19, 1993
  
• Interview with Sonia Boyne for the Frederick (MD) Post, March 5, 1993
• Interview with Myrna Statland for WUSA-TV (Channel 9), Washington, DC, November 30, 1992
  
• Interview with Buzz McClain, Montgomery (MD) Journal, October 16, 1992