News Archive

Fri 5 October 2021
The piece I wrote for saxophone ensemble, Yuluna Loop, was filmed at its premiere a few weeks ago (thanks Angelo Valdivia!), so I'm very happy to be able to share that. It was a great ensemble of players, pulled together by Sarah Byron and Kate Flint, and I'm very thankful to all the musicians and also to Adelaide Wind Orchestra for programming this in their concert.
For the upcoming Firm concert, I've written a set of waltzes for violin, cello and piano. I've titled them Waffles for Breakfast because of how sweet they are, and also because I had waffles for breakfast on the day when most of the melodies came into my head. The waffles were from Harvest Café in Mylor in November 2018, when I was hiking through the Adelaide Hills.

Mon 27 September 2021
I have just completed a new work for saxophone ensemble (12 saxes!) which is being premiered this Friday at the Adelaide Youth Orchestra's Splinter concert - see under "Upcoming Performances" for details. This is something I started writing during a trip to the Flinders Ranges last year. I explained it all to Angelo Valdivia, who made a fantastic little video about it.

I was thrilled that the Benaud Trio were able to premiere The Tied Test in Adelaide and Melbourne in April. And in May, I had the great pleasure of seeing hundreds of children and their families singing along to Are we there yet? - the family concert I wrote for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra based on Alison Lester's famous picture book.
Currently I'm working on a piano trio for The Firm, which is to be played in November.

Sat 10 April 2021
I don't think I ever had such a busy start to the year. And now some performances are coming up!
Firstly there's the Benaud Trio playing my 4-movement (or 4-innings!) tribute to a famous cricket match, The Tied Test, both in Adelaide and Melbourne (it will also be live-streamed - follow the links on the right!).
Then, that same weekend, I'm conducting the Adelaide Wind Orchestra in an all-Australian program, including works by my friends Anne Cawrse and Martin Cheney.
And in a bit over a month, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is presenting Are we there yet? - the piece that I've now spent more than a year working on, which accompanies by Alison Lester's picture book.

Fri 20 November 2020
In just over a week, Elsabeth and I will be presenting a CONCERT! It will be an exhibition of musical portraiture, featuring a piano duo arrangement of Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations and several of my own compositions.  Anyone can come, because it is going to be LIVE-STREAMED! (thanks to South Australia's recent lock-down).
If you are interested, tickets are available HERE. You can register for free, but we are encouraging donations, which we will put towards the community-space building project at Broadview Baptist Church (our home church), where we originally intended to hold the concert.
Also, we've released a PODCAST about what we're playing! Available on most podcast platforms (search for "What Music Tells Me"), or just go here.

Sat 26 September 2020
I would like to congratulate Kathy & Terry Bickley, who commissioned me to write them a duet for bassoon and bass clarinet earlier this year. They performed Two Deep for the Australian Double Reed Society's Online Competition, in the duet section, and won second prize (which keeps the whole "two" thing going!). It was a great honour and joy to compose the piece especially for them!
Other recent projects have included a song for a friend's wedding and preparing to arrange Are we there yet? for orchestra. I've also been listening to lots of calypso music as I work on the Tied Test piece for Benaud Trio. It puts me a good mood. :)

Wed 8 July 2020
Recently I had my first taste of performing in a long while – well, kind of! I was one of about 100 pianists around Australia who took part in 84 Pianos: Pandemic Edition, an initiative of Clocked Out Duo. You can see the video here.  Maybe you can hear me too, I'm not really sure!
I completed Are we there yet? last month, and I'm really looking forward to hearing it soon. I'm really happy with how it has turned out.
Many other projects are still up in the air, but I can confirm a few things...
I'm honoured to be one of the composers in the Sydney Symphony's 50 Fanfares commissioning initiative. This means I'll be writing a fanfare for a performance sometime in 2021 – more details to come when things settle down a bit!
I am about to start work on a piece for Benaud Trio, which is going to be the first cricket-related piece I've written since How McDougal Topped the Score (in 2010).
At the moment I'm working on David's Song of Thanks, which hopefully the Adelaide Wind Orchestra will be able to play soon (our updated program in response to the pandemic is yet to be decided).
Finally, if you want to listen to something, here's the amazing Alondra Vega-Zaldivar singing my composition Bowerbird Blues in her 2019 Art Song Collaborative Project, 'Cries of the Earth'...

Tue 14 April 2020
Happy Easter everyone! I realise a lot has changed in the world since I last updated this site... even though that was only a couple of months ago. But I am still here and still composing. Probably more than I would otherwise...
Are we there yet? continues to progress. It now exists as a full piece of music in piano score, which I am busy revising and orchestrating.
Most recently, I have been re-arranging one of my old favourite compositions, The Three Little Pigs, for an ensemble of toy pianos and melodicas. It's been a good reminder how fortunate I was to have three amazing clarinet players perform and record the original version back in 2010, because it's not an easy piece!

Fri 21 February 2020
A short update to note that I'm going to be composing a fanfare later this year - thanks to the Sydney Symphony's amazing "50 Fanfares" Commissioning Project. What an honour to have "David John Lang" listed between "Elena Kats-Chernin" and "Liza Lim"! I'm very excited for this...

Sat 1 February 2020
A couple of years ago I wrote a little violin solo inspired by the raucous, rhythmic song of the red wattlebird, Anthochaera carunculata. It was commissioned by Simone Slattery as part of a project called Where Song Began, which has had many performances, and is now also available as a CD. It's full of beautifully performed music artfully combined with the sounds of Australian birds... most of them more tuneful than the wattlebird!
At the moment I'm working on a large-scale composition project titled Are we there yet? It will probably keep me going for a while yet... which seems apt... In the meantime, especially devoted fans of mine (are you there?) may recognise this as the title of a previous DJL composition, a set of three preludes for wind band. This is actually quite coincidental, as the commissioner's inspiration comes from an existing children's book of the same name. Being a composer, I shall probably not be able to help creating some clever musical link between the two works...
I've recently completed a 10-minute duet for bass clarinet and bassoon, titled Two Deep. It was commissioned by Terry & Kathy Bickley, who I met while conducting the Unley Concert Band in my role as Music Director  there last year. I'm really looking forward to hearing them play it...

Fri 17 January 2020
Last year was a bit of a quiet year as far as composing goes. I was probably still recovering from the PhD, and I ended up with more conducting and writing work than I've ever had before. Also, I got married. :)
This year is already different. I have two composition projects to work on already (a duet, and a chamber ensemble piece with songs & narrator). I'm also going to be revising my popular Three Little Pigs for melodicas and toy pianos for a concert towards the end of the year, which should be fun.
The duet for bassoon and bass clarinet has been interesting to write. I've written a few duets for wind instruments before, and it's always a challenge to make it sound like it's meant to be a duet, and isn't crying out for more parts. I think I've hit upon workable way of doing it this time. It should be finished next week, I think...

Fri 10 January 2020
Another New Year!
This month I am working on two compositions. One is a duet for bassoon and bass clarinet, commissioned by Terry and Kathy Bickley. The other composition is a musical setting of a children's story book - more about that later!

Tue 30 Jul 2019
Well, composing has taken a back seat for the last few months as I've been concentrating on several conducting gigs. At the beginning of this year I was appointed Music Director of the Unley Concert Band, and I've also continued as assistant conductor of the Adelaide Wind Orchestra (I conducted their most recent concert, Thunder & Lightning, which was reviewed here). Between these two ensembles, I've led six performances in the last two months, so that has kept me very busy!
But compositions continue to live their own lives – most recently, Bowerbird Blues was performed in Canada as part of Alondra Vega-Zaldivar's Art Song Collaborative Project, 'Cries of the Earth'.

Thu 20 Dec 2018
I am very relieved to have submitted my PhD last week. At last! In celebration, I shaved off my beard, which I hadn't touched since May.
I have a number of new projects on the go at the moment, and in the New Year I shall announce what they are. Watch this space...

Fri 6 Jul 2018
While trying to finish the exegesis for my PhD, I've had a number of welcome interruptions, including two commissions from the Adelaide Youth Orchestra. I've completed an arrangement of Old MacDonald Had a Farm (with lots of orchestral farm animal noises!) for Adelaide Youth Sinfonia to play at the Babies Proms concert in August, and I'm currently working on a fanfare for the Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra and November's Gala Concert.
Since my last update (a long time ago - sorry!), I've had the opportunity to record two more of my wind orchestra compositions, Yukon Sunrise and Over the Hills and Far Away.
Finally, I'm conducting a concert next weekend with the Adelaide Wind Orchestra, "Castles and Cathedrals." It's British-themed program which I've chosen (Holst, Hesketh, Maconchy...), although it ends with an Australian work that I very much admire: David Stanhope's Concerto for Band.

Mon 19 Feb 2018
Just over a week ago, I presented a number of new (and not-so-new) compositions for my second PhD Recital at Adelaide University. Thank you to everyone who came along to hear it! The finale was the Catcher Variations piano solo, by far the biggest work I've ever written (or played!). Recordings from this event are currently being edited, and I hope to make them available soon. In the meantime, enjoy the photos!
I've recently had music featured in the Making Waves monthly playlist again – Summer Thunderstorm for string orchestra is the final work in a beautifully summery collection of "Landscape Waves".
Voyces, a choir in Perth, are performing my settings of failed text messages in May, and there are also a few compositions being played by the Adelaide Wind Orchestra later this year.
We are now entering Adelaide's "Mad March" festival eason, and I have an exegesis to write, so don't expect too many new compositions in the near future... but I'm sure I'll be longing to open up my manuscript sketch books again before too long! There is much more music waiting to be written!

Mon 1 Jan 2018
Happy New Year!
The big news is that the Big Piano Piece is complete. I started writing it in New York in 2012, so it's taken a while!
Catcher Variations consist of 90 variations and goes for about 35 minutes. It is also one of the best things I've written so far. There is a story behind the music, which an astute listener (and avid reader) may pick up. But I'm also hoping that it will stand on its own as a cool piece of music. I shall be recording it in February, so if you can't make it to my recital, you should be able to hear it shortly after.
Simone Slattery commissioned me to write some bird-inspired pieces for solo violin last year. She premiered Anthochaera carunculata in November in Melbourne, and this piece and two others will be performed in Adelaide sometime in 2018 (I'm not sure when yet).
I'll be conducting and composing for the Adelaide Wind Orchestra again this year, which I am really looking forward to.

Thu 28 Sep 2017
I'm very excited to announce that I've nearly finished my Big Piano Piece (the one I've been working on for most of this year). It's about 35 minutes long, and it also nearly has a title, but I'm not yet certain enough to share it. I've played it to a few friends so far, and I shall endeavour to organise a public performance and recording soon...
Meanwhile, I have a few smaller compositions to work on... including one inspired by Australian birds! There's a deadline for that, so you can expect to hear more about it by November...
The Making Conversation Podcast has continued releasing their weekly episodes, which I've really enjoyed listening to. I've contributed three interviews so far: with Anne Cawrse, Dan Thorpe and Jakub Jankowski. My interview with Rachel Bruerville should appear soon as well. CutCommon also did a short interview with me about my involvement on this project, which you can read here.
My friend Steph has started a YouTube channel of Nerdy Music Things, and in addition to seeing a musical scale explained with fridge magnets, you can also watch an interview she did with me – composing definitely counts as a "nerdy music thing" to talk about!
And I've been doing quite a bit of conducting this year for the Adelaide Wind Orchestra. Our last concert was West Side Story, and I had the privilege of conducting the preliminary rehearsals before Matt Klohs and Peter Handsworth flew in from interstate to take the final rehearsals and the concert – so I got to hear AWO from the audience!

Thu 29 Jun 2017
I'm still composing those pieces I mentioned last time... but I'm also conducting the Adelaide Wind Orchestra soon! Our concert "Aurora Awakes" is happening on the 15 July, and I'm very excited to be conducting three pieces in it. Melanie Walters is playing the Liebermann Flute Concerto, and I've also programmed two works from composers I met in Alaska last year: Ostara's Equinox by Cassie To and Glide Path by Sam Young.

Thu 13 Apr 2017
I'm a big fan of the Making Waves monthly playlist of Australian music, and I'm very excited to have been involved their recent "Making Conversation" project. I interviewed four composers from South Australia, and you can expect to see these podcasts appearing over the coming months – along with many more from around Australia and the world.
In composing news, I have several big works in progress at the moment, including a big solo piano work (theme and variations) and a piece for orchestra. But I can't say much more about them - I'm not even sure what they're called yet!

Fri 14 Oct 2016
A lot has happened in the last three months. I had a wonderful time in Alaska, and Peter Alexander has written an article that captures the experience well. Since returning home, I've had several exciting performances: the Adelaide Chamber Singers gave a thoroughly entertaining premiere of Sorry I missed you (Text message fails), the Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra performed Yukon Sunrise, and I played the melodica in Surprised by Joy with the Adelaide Wind Orchestra. I also had a number of other compositions recorded at an unofficial "recital" for my PhD. I will be making the recordings from all these things available shortly...

Mon 04 Jul 2016
Later this month, I'll be Composing in the Wilderness in Alaksa! I'm really looking forward to seeing the wilderness around Denali, meeting a group of other outdoorsy composers, and writing a new piece of music inspired by... well, who knows?
Just before I go, there's another Adelaide Wind Orchestra concert coming up on Saturday 9 July, this time conducted by Bryan Griffiths. They'll be giving the premiere of Going on a Lion Hunt – the most stubbornly determined 10-minutes of music I've ever composed!

Thu 19 May 2016
This Saturday I'm conducting the Adelaide Wind Orchestra in a full concert entitled "Fables". Although I wasn't meant to be doing this (originally), it's turned out to be something I'm very excited about. "Storytelling through music" is one of my main interests as a composer, and this concert is full of stories: Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Julie Giroux's Symphony of Fables, and two works by young American composer Jess Langston Turner: Rumpelstilzchen and You'll Come Matilda (variations on Australia's national song that colourfully depict the story of the original ballad).
Details and tickets available here.

Tue 26 Apr 2016
A few weeks ago, Sinfonietta received its second performance, thanks to the trumpet players of the Adelaide Wind Orchestra. The concert was in a church, but we took the opportunity while rehearsing at Adelaide University to record the piece in the acoustic for which it was originally written: the 12-storey fire stairs of the Schulz building!

Mon 21 Mar 2016
I'm very excited that The Three Little Pigs (played by Eclectica Trio) is featured in this month's Making Waves playlist. I'm a big fan of Making Waves, and love listening to their monthly playlists of new Australian music.

Thu 7 Jan 2016
Over the hills and far away had a successful premiere last December. I'm going to revise it a bit before I make it officially available...
Another exciting thing that happened in December was a recording session of my two fugues for saxophone quartet: Harry's Fugue and Rosefield Fugue. Special thanks to Sarah, Sean, Rhiannon and Kate!

Fri 23 Oct 2015
I'm hard at work finishing off Over the hills and far away, which the Adelaide Wind Orchestra will be performing in December. Rehearsals are fast approaching!

Tue 1 Sep 2015
My composition for wind orchestra, On Further Reflection, is the Junior A Grade test piece for the 2016 Yamaha National Band Championship (Australia). The music is available to purchase on my website - have a look at it here.

Past Performances

2022

Mon 23 May, 6:00pm
Deciduous
Music for 1, 2 and 4 hands at the piano, performed by David & Elsabeth Lang.
Program includes:
David John Lang - Waffles for Breakfast (version for piano duet)
David John Lang - Walking around Adelaide early in the morning listening to magpies
Urrbrae House, Urrbrae, SA, Australia

Sun 1 May, 2:00pm
Sunday Soirées: Sarah Curro VOLUME
Program includes:
David John Lang - Letter to Balhannah
McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery, Langwarrin, VIC, Australia

2021

Mon 15 Nov, 8:00pm
The Firm: Piano Trio
Program includes:
David John Lang - Waffles for Breakfast
Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia

Fri 1 Oct, 7:30pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: Splinter
Program includes:
David John Lang - Yuluna Loop
Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia

Sat 26 Jun, 7:30pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: Apollo Unleashed
Program includes:
David John Lang - Fanfare for a Warrior
Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia

Sat 22 May, 1:30pm & 3:15pm (Adelaide time)
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra: Are we there yet?
Family concert, consisting of Alison Lester's book and my music!
David John Lang - Are we there yet?
Scott Theatre, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia

Sat 17 Apr, 3pm & 6:30pm (Melbourne time)
Benaud Trio: Decisive Moments
Program includes:
David John Lang - The Tied Test
Melbourne Recital Centre, VIC, Australia

Fri 16 Apr, 1:10pm (Adelaide time)
Benaud Trio: Decisive Moments
Program includes:
David John Lang - The Tied Test
Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia

2020

Sun 13 Dec, 8pm (5:30am Monday, Adelaide time!)
CINDERELLA IN STREAMLAND
A program of fairy-tale themed works for lots of toy pianos and melodicas.
David John Lang - The Three Little Pigs
live-streamed from Hamburg, Germany

Sat 28 Nov, 7pm (Adelaide time)
Friends Pictured Within
David John Lang & Elsabeth Lang - pianos
An exhibition of musical portraiture! Including a piano duo arrangement of Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, and several original compositions by David John Lang.
Online concert - YouTube livestream. Book tickets to get the link.

Tue 20 – Fri 23 Oct, various times
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra: "Are we there yet?"
A new work for the ASO's learning program, based on the children's picture book by Alison Lester.
David John Lang - Are we there yet?
Performances at participating primary schools around Adelaide

Sun 3 May, 8:00pm AEST
VOLUME 11
Sarah Curro, violin
program includes:
David John Lang - Letter to Balhannah
Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, VIC, Australia

2019

Fri 13 Sep, 7:30pm
Goin' Solo
Unley Concert Band
program includes:
David John Lang - On Further Reflection
Scotch College Chapel, Torrens Park SA, Australia

Sun 28 Jul, 2:00pm
Cries of the Earth
Alondra Vega-Zaldivar's Art Song Collaborative Project
program includes:
David John Lang - Bowerbird Blues for voice and piano
Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church, 10066 Yonge St, Richmond Hill ON, Canada

Sat 27 Jul, 10:00m
2019 South Australian State Band Championships
C Grade Concert Band test piece:
David John Lang - On Further Reflection
Vogue Cinema, Belair Road, Kingswood SA, Australia

Fri 26 Jul, 7:00pm
Sat 27 Jul, 2:00pm
Cries of the Earth
Alondra Vega-Zaldivar's Art Song Collaborative Project
program includes:
David John Lang - Bowerbird Blues [world premiere] for voice and piano
Array Music Space, 155 Walnut St, Toronto ON, Canada

2018

Mon 3 Dec, 8:00pm
The Firm Concert 4: Michael Ierace (piano)
program includes:
David John Lang - two pieces from The Wedding Album [world premiere] for solo piano
Elder Hall, North Terrace, Adelaide SA, Australia

Sun 18 Nov, 3:00pm
Adelaide Youth Orchestra Gala Concert: "Fanfare"
program includes:
David John Lang - Fanfare for a Warrior [world premiere] for the Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra
Adelaide Town Hall, King William Street, Adelaide SA, Australia

Sat 25 Aug, 1pm & 3pm
Adelaide Youth Orchestras: Junior Proms
Adelaide Youth Sinfonia
Minas Berberyan (conductor)
Naomi Crellin (singer/presenter)
program includes:
Old MacDonald Had a Farm (arr. David John Lang) [world premiere]
Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre

Sun 27 May, 2:30pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Timelines"
program includes:
David John Lang - Teklanika Twilight
Concordia College Suaviter, Winchester Street, Highgate SA, Australia

Sat 19 May, 2:30pm
Voyces: "Sorry I missed you"
program includes:
David John Lang - Sorry I missed you (text message fails)
Trinity Uniting Church, 72 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA, Australia

2017

Fri 10 Nov
Where Song Began
Simone Slattery (violin)
program includes:
David John Lang – Anthochaera carunculata [world premiere]
Taylor Cullity Lethlean - Melbourne Studio

Sun 30 Jul, 2:30pm
Christ Church Choir in Concert
directed by Andrew Georg
program includes:
David John Lang – My soul, wait
Christ Church North Adelaide
35 Palmer Place, North Adelaide, SA, Australia

Sat 10 Jun, 6pm
Opus Novum (blurred edges festival)
Piano: Hugo Selles
program includes:
David John Lang - Walking around Adelaide early in the morning listening to magpies
Koppel 66, Hamburg, Germany

Sun 12 Feb, 3pm
Opus Novum
Piano: Hugo Selles
program includes:
David John Lang - Walking around Adelaide early in the morning listening to magpies [world premiere]
UKARIA Cultural Centre, Williams Road, Mount Barker Summit SA, Australia

2016

Fri 7 Oct, 1:10pm
Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra
Conductor: Luke Dollman
program includes:
David John Lang - Yukon Sunrise [world premiere]
Elder Hall, North Terrace, Adelaide SA, Australia

Sat 1 Oct, 8pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Spiritus"
Conductor: Dave Polain
program includes:
David John Lang - Surprised by Joy
Elder Hall, North Terrace, Adelaide SA, Australia

Sun 25 Sep, 3pm
Adelaide Chamber Singers: "Songs of Longing"
Conductor: Christie Anderson
program includes:
David John Lang - Sorry I missed you (Text message fails)
The Village Well, Aldgate SA, Australia

Sat 24 Sep, 6:30pm
Adelaide Chamber Singers: "Songs of Longing"
Conductor: Christie Anderson
program includes:
David John Lang - Sorry I missed you (Text message fails) [world premiere]
Pilgrim Church, Flinders Street, Adelaide SA, Australia

Tue 26 Jul, 7:30pm
Sounds of Nature: Alaskan Premieres
a Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival event
Corvus Ensemble
program includes:
David John Lang - Teklanika Twilight
Davis Concert Hall, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

Mon 25 Jul, 7:30pm
Composing in the Wilderness
Corvus Ensemble
program includes:
David John Lang - Teklanika Twilight [world premiere]
Visitor Centre, Denali National Park, Alaska, USA

Sat 9 Jul, 8pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Australian Stories"
Conductor: Bryan Griffiths
program includes:
David John Lang - Going on a Lion Hunt [world premiere]
Concordia College Chapel, Cheltenham Street, Highgate SA, Australia

Sat 9 Jul, 8pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: "Australian Stories"
Conductor: Bryan Griffiths
program includes:
David John Lang - Going on a Lion Hunt [world premiere]
Concordia College Chapel, Cheltenham Street, Highgate SA, Australia

Sun 19 Jun
Toy Piano Mania
featuring works for 6 toy pianos and piano
program includes:
David John Lang - Imaginary Waltz [world premiere]
for toy piano & real piano, performed by India Hooi
Kunstforum der GEDOK, Hamburg, Germany

Sat 28 May, 1pm
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music: Wind Symphony Day:
MCM Concert Band, conducted by Dr Kevin Cameron
program includes:
David John Lang - On Further Reflection
Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank VIC, Australia

Sat 9 Apr, 2pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: Gran Partita
program includes Mozart's Gran Partita and:
David John Lang - Sinfonietta
for 5 trumpets
Flinders Street Baptist Church, Flinders Street, Adelaide SA, Australia

Sat 26 Mar, 11:45am
Yamaha National Band Championships
Junior A Grade Concert Band program includes as the test piece:
David John Lang - On Further Reflection
Chapel, Trinity College Gawler, Evanston South SA, Australia

2015

Sat 12 Dec, 8pm
Adelaide Wind Orchestra: Pines of Rome
Johan de Meij - Symphony No. 1: Lord of the Rings
David John Lang - Over the hills and far away
Ottorino Respighi - Pines of Rome
Concordia College Chapel, Cheltenham Street, Highgate, SA, Australia