David Arend

Double Bassist and Composer

Double bassist and composer David Arend performs classical, jazz, hip hop, singer/songwriter and electroacoustic music, exploring hybrids in his compositions.

David’s music has been performed by jazz combos, chamber ensembles, soloists, DJs, the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Academy Orchestra, Philharmonia Northwest, West Point Woodwind Quintet and members of the San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Nashville Symphony.

David has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Carlos Santana, Bobby McFerrin, soloists such as Mark O’Connor, Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, Gidon Kremer and Lynn Harrell, and is a member of the Oakland Symphony directed by Michael Morgan. A passionate commitment to new music has led David to work with influential composers such as Ornette Coleman, George Crumb, Thomas Adés, John Harbison, Chen Yi, John Psathas, Tan Dun and George Tsontakis, and next generation composers such as Jack Perla, Mason Bates, Marisol Jimenez, Jonathan Newman and John Mackey.

David has enjoyed collaborations with singer/songwriters such as Jordan Carp, Alex Mandel and Dave Brandt with The Echo Falls, and Art Khu with Jacqui Naylor among many others. Hip hop and electronica club appearances include Envision Festival and Bamboo Bass Festival (Costa Rica), Roter Salon and Zu mir oder zu Dir (Berlin, Germany), Cryptoportico at the American Academy (Rome, Italy), The New Parish (Oakland, CA) and San Francisco’s Mezzanine, Ruby Skye, 111 Minna, John Colins, Varnish, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The De Young Museum.

A graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music) and The Juilliard School (Master of Music), David held a fellowship for four summers as solo bassist with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble under director George Tsontakis. Primary double bass mentors include Eugene Levinson, Scott Haigh and Albert Laszlo.

David has performed at music festivals such as Aspen, Bellingham, Cabrillo, Mendocino, Telluride, Woodstockhausen (Santa Cruz), Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival and Pacific Music Festival, Japan. He has been a guest artist at the Seattle Latin American Music Festival (SLAM), San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, Composers, Inc., Music In May, and NWEAMO electro-acoustic festival of bent electronica. David was selected for the 2012 Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute at UCLA, where he received mentorship from a team of composers and where he met future members of the composer/performer collaborative Alchemy Sound Project.

David Arend has recorded for Rattle Records (New Zealand), San Francisco Symphony Media, Odd-Shaped Case, Dapper Music, Navona Records/Naxos, Origin Records, and Artists Recording Collective (ARC).

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