David C. Sampson (born January 26, 1951) is an American contemporary classical composer.
Biography David C. Sampson was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. After starting trumpet lessons, he studied at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan, studying trumpet and composition. Sampson earned a B.A. in music from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied trumpet with Gilbert Johnson. He continued his studies with Donald Lybbert in composition at Hunter College, earning an M.F.A. in composition, followed by a D.M.A. at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied composition with John Corigliano and trumpet with Robert Nagel and Raymond Mase. He also attended the Ecole d’Art Americaines at Fontainebleau as a composition student of Robert Levin. Additionally, he has studied with Karel Husa and Henri Dutilleux in composition and Gerard Schwarz on trumpet.
Sampson has received major grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Academy of Arts and Letters, Chamber Music America, Barlow Endowment, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Jerome Foundation, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
Selected commissioned works The War Prayer (1984–85) for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts and premiered by Princeton Pro Musica. Hommage JFK (1995) for 14 brass and three percussion. Commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra. Monument (1996–97). Commissioned by the Barlow Foundation for the Akron and Memphis Symphony Orchestras. Turns (1994) for violoncello and orchestra. Commissioned by the Bergen Foundation and cellist Paul Tobias and premiered by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Triptych (1991) for trumpet and orchestra. Commissioned by the International Trumpet Guild. Premiered by Raymond Mase at the Aspen Music Festival and with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Dectet (1998). Commissioned by the Chicago Chamber Musicians. Strata (1999). Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Brass Quintet. Jersey Rain (2001). Commissioned by the NEA and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and premiered by Harmonium and Masterworks Choruses and the Colonial Symphony. Breathing Lessons (2006) for saxophone quartet. Commissioned by Chamber Music America for the Amherst Saxophone Quartet. Short Stories (1994). Commissioned by Chamber Music America and the Pew Charitable Trust. Elements (2002) for string quartet. Commissioned by the Elements String Quartet. Double Back (2015) for trumpet, trombone, and wind ensemble. Premiered by Rex Richardson, Joseph Alessi, and the VCU Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Terry Austin, director. Simple Lives (1990). Commissioned by the Colonial Symphony. Duncan Trio (2002) for brass trio. Commissioned by Dorothy Duncan. Breakaway (2004) for two trumpets and electronics. Commissioned by Raymond Mase and Kevin Cobb. Smoky Mountain Fanfare (2010) for brass quintet. Commissioned by the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet. Like the Risen Grain (2011) for mixed chorus, brass quintet, timpani, and organ. Commissioned by Bucknell University. Legend (2011) for wind ensemble. Commissioned by Texas A&M Commerce University. Still (2013) for brass quintet. Commissioned by the Gaudete Brass Quintet. Mock Attack! (2014) for clarinet. Commissioned by the Montclair Art Museum. Memories To Keep Awhile (2014) for trumpet/flugelhorn, violin, violoncello, and piano. Commissioned by David Elton and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. Random Acts (2018) for trumpet and piano. Commissioned by a consortium of 15 trumpets players organized by Kevin Cobb.
Discography
Monument (Summit Records DCD237), 1999.Triptych, Simple Lives, Hommage JFK, Three Portraits, Monument. Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Alan Balter, conductor; Raymond Mase, trumpet;Scott Mendoker, tuba. Dectet (Troy 780), 2005. Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, Raymond Mase, flügelhorn; Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Sonata Forty for horn and piano, Scott Brubaker, horn; Ron Levy, piano. Strata for brass quintet, The American Brass Quintet. Dectet for string quartet, wind quintet, and piano, Paul Polivnick, conductor, Wihan Quartet; Afflatus Wind Quintet; Richard Ormrod, piano. Chesapeake (Summit Records DCD639), 2014. Breakaway for two trumpets and electronics, Raymond Mase, Kevin Cobb, trumpets; Powell Trio for trombone, marimba, and piano, Michael Powell, trombone; She-e Wu, marimba; Steven Beck, piano. Three Sides for trumpet/flügelhorn, vibraphone and piano, Raymond Mase, trumpet/flügelhorn; James Baker, vibraphone; Steven Beck, piano. Just Keep Moving for horn, bass trombone, marimba and piano, David Wakefield, horn;John D. Rojak, bass trombone; She-e Wu, marimba; Martha Locker, piano. Chesapeake for brass quintet, American Brass Quintet. Notes from Faraway Places (Summit Records DCD681), 2016. Fanfare for Canterbury Cathedral for double brass quintet, American Brass Quintet; Quo Vadis Brass Quintet. Tenebrae for trumpet and organ, Raymond Mase, trumpet; Trent Johnson, organ. Without Warning for piano, Steven Beck, piano. Mock Attack for solo clarinet, Andy Lamy, clarinet. A Family Portrait for brass quintet, Philadelphia Brass. Evensong for tuba and electronics, Scott Mendoker, tuba. The Death of Macbeth for solo timpani and percussion quartet, James Musto, Tom Murphy, Nancy Pontius, David Stockton, Jeff Willet, percussion. Notes from Faraway Places, Suite 3 for two trumpets, Donald Batchelder, Raymond Mase, trumpets. Smoky Mountain Fanfare for brass quintet, Philadelphia Brass. Changewater for eight trombones, Richard Clark, Richard Harris, Tom Hutchinson, Chris Olness, Michael Powell, Tim Albright, Kenneth Finn, tenor trombones; John Rojak, bass trombone. Inamere for twelve trumpets.
Recordings featuring compositions by David Sampson
American Tribute (Summit Records (DCD 127), 1991. Reflections On A Dance,Summit Brass. Divertimento - Music For Winds (Bay Cities BCD1030), 1991. In Memoriam: W.E.S.,Aspen Wind Quintet. New American Brass (Summit Records, DCD133), 1992. Morning Music, American Brass Quintet. Trumpet in Our Time (Summit Records, DCD-148), 1995.The Mysteries Remain, Solo, Raymond Mase. Five (Channel Classics CCS 9496), 1995. Morning Music, Meridian Arts Ensemble. Premier! (Summit Records DCD 187),1996. Distant Voices, American Brass Quintet. Atemwege - Breath Paths (Bayer-Records, CAD800876), 1999. Solo, Lutz Mandler, flügelhorn. A Choral Bouquet (Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey), 1999. Shout For Joy!, Rutgers University Chorus, John Floreen, conductor. First Glimpses of Sunlight (Summit Records DCD233), 1999. Short Stories, Dorian Wind Quintet. Sing We Merrily (Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey), 2001. Of The Father’s Love Begotten (arr.), Rutgers University Chorus, John Floreen, conductor. Raritonality (Mark Masters MCD6199), 2006. Moving Parts, Rutgers Wind Ensemble, William Berz, conductor. Stargazer (Equilibrium EQL 83), 2007. Passage, Alan Siebert, trumpet. Jewels (Summit Records DCD 484), 2007. Entrance, American Brass Quintet. Outberzt (Mark Masters MCD8652), 2009. Outburst, Rutgers Wind Ensemble, William Berz, conductor. WASABE 2009 (Mark Records MCD8471), 2009. Outburst, North Texas Wind Symphony. Archetypes (GIA WindWorks CD-820), 2009. Moving Parts, North Texas Wind Symphony, Eugene Corporon, conductor. Brass Trios (Albany Records, Troy 1222), 2010. Duncan Trio, University of Maryland Brass Trio. State of the Art: The ABQ at 50 (Summit Records, DCD 553), 2010. Chants and Flourishes, American Brass Quintet. Breathing Lessons: Music for Saxophone Quartet (Naxos 8.559627), 2011. Breathing Lessons, New Hudson Saxophone Quartet. Chicago Moves (Cedille Records, CDR 90000), 2012. Chicago Moves.Gaudete Brass. Hi-Fi News album choice, June 2013. New American Masters, Volume 5 (Albany Records Troy1481), 2014. Undercurrents Redux,Palisades Virtuosi. Sevenfive: The Corigliano Effect (Cedille Records CDR 90000 169), 2017. Entrance, Still,Gaudete Brass.
Compositions by instrumentation Orchestral
The Notes Fit To Print for orchestra, 1980 Three Portraits for tuba and chamber orchestra, 1990 Simple Lives for orchestra, 1990 Triptych for trumpet and orchestra, 1991 Turns for violoncello and orchestra, 1994 Monument for orchestra, 1996–97 Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, 1998 Jersey Rain for baritone, chorus and orchestra, 2001 Concerto for oboe and string orchestra, 2003 New Providence Overture for orchestra, 2003 Concerto for soprano saxophone and string orchestra, 2004 Black River Concerto for violin, percussion and orchestra, 2007
Mixed ensemble
Permit Me Voyage for viola and piano, 1978 Passage for viola and flügelhorn, 1979 Flashback for percussion quartet, 1980 Sonata Forty for horn and piano, 1991 Three Arguments for unaccompanied violoncello, 1993 Dectet for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, piano, two violins, viola, violoncello, and double bass, 1998 Sketches for violin and marimba, 2007 The Powell Trio for tenor trombone, marimba, and piano, 2009 Three Sides for trumpet, vibraphone, and piano, 2009 Just Keep Moving for horn, bass trombone, marimba, and piano, 2010 Undercurrents Redux for flute, clarinet, and piano, 2010 Counterwork for trumpet, marimba, and piano, 2010 Flare for violoncello, marimba and string orchestra, 2012 Death of Macbeth for percussion quintet, 2013 Memories to Keep Awhile for trumpet/flügelhorn, violin, violoncello, and piano, 2014 Skeleton at the Feast for flute, viola, and guitar, 2017
Choral O Blessed Face for flute, harp, organ, and mixed choir, 1978 Peace for mixed choir a cappella, 1981 Behold How Good and Lovely It Is for mixed choir and organ, 1984 Shout for Joy! for brass quartet, organ, and mixed choir, 1992 Of the Father’s Love Begotten for mixed choir and organ, 1993 Praise! for mixed choir and organ, 1994 Replogle "Amens" for mixed choir, 2010 For the Last Time for viola, piano, and mixed choir, 2016
Choral with orchestra The War Prayer for six vocal soloists, mixed choir, and chamber orchestra, 1984-5 Jersey Rain for baritone solo, mixed choir, and orchestra, 2001
Songs and song cycles The Skein for soprano and piano, 1973 The Birthday for soprano, oboe, violoncello, and harp, 1982 Four Scenes and an Epilogue for soprano, string quartet, and harp, 1984 Three Christmas Scenes for flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, violoncello, piano, and mixed choir, 1987 The Song My Paddle Sings for mixed choir a cappella, 1987 The Figured Wheel for soprano, oboe/English horn, bassoon, and piano, 1988 "Our Father's Road", A Cantata for New Sweden for narrator, soprano, oboe/English horn, violoncello, piano, and percussion, 1989 Voices of Our Youth for flute, viola, violoncello, harp, and mixed choir, 1997 Two Settings of the Serenity Prayer for mixed choir and organ, 2007 To Hold Us for mixed choir and piano, 2008 Like the Risen Grain for mixed choir, brass quintet, timpani, and organ, 2011
Piano Cuttings, 1980 Without Warning, 1992
Trumpet(s)/flügelhorn
The Mysteries Remain for trumpet and organ, 1978 Passage for viola and flügelhorn, 1979 Litany of Breath for trumpet, 1980 Trumpet Descants on Festive Hymns for trumpet, 1981 Flight for three trumpets, 1982 Winter Ceremony for two trumpets and percussion, 198. Trumpet Descants on Christmas Hymns for trumpet, 1983 Triptych for trumpet and orchestra, 1991 Solo for unaccompanied flügelhorn, 1991 Serenade for flügelhorn and string orchestra, 1998 Notes from Faraway Places - three suites of concert etudes for one or two trumpets, 2001 Breakaway for two trumpets and digital audio, 2004 Serenade for trumpet and wind ensemble, 2006 Morning Pages for unaccompanied trumpet, 2007 Three Sides for trumpet, vibraphone and piano, 2009 Inamere for 12 trumpets, 2011 Memories to Keep Awhile for trumpet/flügelhorn, violin, violoncello, and piano, 2014