David Starobin

David Starobin (born September 27, 1951 in New York City) is an American classical guitarist, record producer, and film director. He is married to Rebecca Askew Starobin (married June 22, 1975), and is the father of Robert Joseph Starobin III (b. October 18, 1979), and Allegra Rose Starobin (b. February 21, 1987).

Starobin started playing the guitar at the age of seven, studying first with Manuel Gayol, then Albert Valdes Blain and at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) with Aaron Shearer. While at Peabody he became Shearer's assistant, directing Peabody's chamber music program for guitarists (1971–73). During this period Starobin worked closely with pianist Leon Fleisher, becoming a member of Fleisher's Theater Chamber Players of The John F. Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.).

David Starobin has toured in the USA as a recitalist, chamber player and orchestral soloist performing at festivals including Marlboro, Aspen, Santa Fe Chamber, and Tanglewood, and with orchestras and ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and the Emerson and Guarneri String Quartets as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Since 1978 he has made annual solo tours in Europe, performing at festivals and making radio and television broadcasts. Starobin is a member of the new music ensemble Speculum Musicae, with whom he has performed and recorded as guitarist and conductor. He also recorded and toured since 1969 with the baritone, Patrick Mason.

Starobin has chaired guitar departments at Brooklyn College, Bennington College, the North Carolina School of the Arts, the State University of New York at Purchase, and, from 1993 to 2004, the Manhattan School of Music. He remains on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music (2010). In September 2010, Starobin was appointed to the newly created "Fondation Charidu Chair in Guitar Studies" at the Curtis Institute of Music. Starobin will join guitarist Jason Vieaux to create the school's guitar program, beginning in September, 2011. Starobin was the first guitarist to have been awarded Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Career Grant (1988); was honored by Peabody Conservatory with its "Distinguished Alumni Award" (1999); and was given with his wife, Becky Starobin, ASCAP's 'Deems Taylor Award' for their work with Bridge Records (2007).

Starobin's own guitar recordings, made mainly for Bridge Records, have presented first performances of dozens of new compositions, as well as a broad range of repertoire from the 19th and 20th century. In 1990 he made the first recording of the newly discovered Giulio Regondi (1822–1872) "10 Etudes", a work now regarded as a landmark in romantic-period guitar repertoire. In 2005 he was filmed (London) performing works of Sor and Giuliani on a 1923 Herman Hauser parlor guitar for a DVD released by Mel Bay, Inc. (St. Louis).

Starobin's work in collaboration with several guitar builders has also been noteworthy. In the 80s, Starobin began to perform and record 19th century music on period instruments, notably by Panormo, La Cote, and Stauffer. At the same time, he was performing modern repertoire on traditional Spanish style instruments, including guitars by Hauser, Friedrich and Humphrey. Starobin's close working relationship with Thomas Humphrey led to the design of the Humphrey's first "Millenium" style instrument- a guitar with a raised fingerboard that allowed improved access to the upper positions of the guitar's neck. This instrument came to be used by many of the guitar world's leading performers. Later, Starobin worked closely with the British builder Gary Southwell to develop Southwell's "A" series. These instruments utilized a version of J.G. Stauffer's adjustable action, combining this old device with more modern design. In recent years, Starobin has played instruments built by the Chicago-based Richard Brune-an instrument that combines significantly smaller neck size, and a modified cutaway along side Brune's traditional Spanish design.

In 1981, Starobin and wife Becky, formed the record label Bridge Records, Inc., a company that has released more than 300 CDs and DVDs (May, 2009). Bridge Records has been nominated for twenty-two Grammy Awards and has received three - for Best Contemporary Composition for George Crumb's "Star-Child" (2001) (BRIDGE 9099 David Starobin, Producer), for Best Classical Vocal Recording for Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Peter Serkin's performance of Peter Lieberson's "Rilke Songs" (BRIDGE 9178, David Starobin, Producer) (2007), and for Garrick Ohlsson's Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3 (2008) for Best Solo Instrumental Recording (BRIDGE 9207, Adam Abeshouse, Producer). In addition to his Grammy Award as Producer, Starobin has been nominated for two Grammy Awards as performer: on guitar for his "Newdance: 18 Dances for Guitar 1996-97" (Best Instrumental Solo Recording); and on mandolin for "George Crumb: Ancient Voices of Children" (Best Small Ensemble Recording) (2006).

Starobin's major projects as record producer include Bridge's ongoing complete George Crumb Edition, begun in 1982 with a recording made by mezzo-soprano, Jan DeGaetani and pianist Gilbert Kalish (BDG 2002, LP). Bridge's Crumb recordings were all made in collaboration with the composer, who attended all the recording sessions, and also recorded for the series as pianist, percussionist and narrator. The Bridge Records Crumb series culminated in 2009 with the release of the film 'George Crumb, "Bad Dog!"' (2009), directed by Starobin. The film's premiere screening was presented in London by the BBC, as part of a festival devoted to the music of Crumb. Starobin has also worked closely with the piano virtuoso Vassily Primakov, producing recordings of concertos by Mozart, Chopin and Dvorak, and solo recordings of Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Schubert, and Schumann. In 2009 Starobin directed a film featuring Primakov performing works by Brahms, Chopin and Scriabin.

In 1995, Bridge Records, Inc. signed an agreement with The Library of Congress to co-produce the CD series: "Great Performances from the Library of Congress", featuring previously un-issued concert performances recorded in the LOC's Coolidge Auditorium (1937–present). Artists appearing on the first 24 volumes of the series include Nathan Milstein, George Szell, The Budapest String Quartet, Leontyne Price, Samuel Barber, Cecil Taylor, Leopold Stokowski, Jan DeGaetani, Aaron Copland, The Golden Gate Quartet, Josh White, John Barrows, Berl Senofsky, Gary Graffman, Dorothy Maynor, Artur Balsam, Henryk Szeryng, Buddy Collette, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Marcel Grandjany, Gustave Langenus, and Zino Francescatti. The Bridge/LOC series has been noted for its re-mastering of the LOC's original materials, in restorations supervised by Adam Abeshouse and David Starobin.

He has given the premieres of numerous contemporary works.

Pieces written for David Starobin include

(solo guitar, unless otherwise noted)

• William Anderson - "Scherzo" (2001)
• Theodore Antoniou - "Danza" (1997)
• Milton Babbitt — Composition for Guitar (1984); Danci (1996); Soli e Duettini (1989) for flute and guitar
• Simon Bainbridge — Guitar Concerto (1998); Dances for Moon Animals (1999)
• William Bland — "Between Moments I" (1969); "Home, After Years Away" (1970) for guitar and percussion; "The Point Stops" (1971) for 9 guitars and two mandolins; "Four Songs on poems of Laurence d'A.M. Glass" (1973); "An Impression by Arp" (1974) for guitar and 5 instruments; "An Impression by Crumb" (1975) for guitar and chamber ensemble; "Song for David" (1974); "Song on a text by Rick Meyers" (1976) baritone and guitar; A Fantasy-Homage to Tomas Luis de Victoria (1977); "Guitar Concerto" (1976)for guitar and orchestra; "Dance Book" (1997); "Variations on a Danish Folk Song" (2010) for guitar and piano;
• Harold Blumenfeld "Rilke" (1975) for soprano and guitar
• Dusan Bogdanovic "Psychic Engines" (1998)
• Michael Calvert "Suma" (1991)
• Elliott Carter — "Changes" (1983); "Shard" (1997)
• David Colson - "Medusa's Eye" (2005) for guitar and vibraphone
• George Crumb — "Quest" (1988–94) for guitar and 5 instruments; Mundus Canis" (A Dog's World)(1998) for guitar and percussion; "The Ghosts of Alhambra" (2008) baritone, guitar, percussion
• Mario Davidovsky — Synchronisms No. 10 (1992) for guitar and electronic sounds; "Festino" (1994) for guitar, viola, cello and contrabass
• Stephen Dembski "Le Monde Merengue" (1998)
• David Del Tredici -- "Acrostic Song" from 'Final Alice' arr. by Stephen Mercurio, rev. by David Del Tredici and David Starobin
• John W. Duarte — "Valse en Rondeau" (1997)
• David Dzubay _-- "Scherzo" (1997); "Lullaby" (1997)
• Brian Fennelly - "Maverick Tango" (2003)
• Tom Flaherty -- "Timeflies" (1996) for cello and guitar; "A Heckuva Job" (2006) for baritone, guitar, percussion
• Lukas Foss -- "Chaconne" (1987) for guitar and pre-recorded guitar
• David Glaser -- "Journey" (2001)
• Daniel Goritz -- "decadance IV" (1998)
• Calvin Hampton -- "Laura" (1974) for soprano and guitar
• Stephen Jaffe -- "Spinoff" (1997)
• Bryan Johanson -- "Open Up Your Ears" (1997); "Think Fast" (2000)
• Jonathan Harvey -- "Sufi Dance" (1997)
• Louis Karchin -- Saraband/Variation (1999)
• Barbara Kolb — "Looking for Claudio" (1975) for guitar and pre-recorded tape; "Songs Before an Adieu" (1976–78) for voice, flute and guitar; "Three Lullabies (1980); Umbrian Colors (1986) for violin and guitar; "Molto Allegra" (1988)
• Meyer Kupferman "The Invisible Timepiece" (1974) for guitar and pre-recorded tape; "Echoes from Barcelona" (1975); "Premeditation" (1976) for clarinet and guitar; "Icarus" (1976) for guitar, viola and cello; "Skywriters" (1976) for oboe, guitar and contrabass; "Fantasy Duo" for guirar and harp (1978) "The Lament von Orfeo" (1979) soprano and guitar; "Poetics" (1981) for guitar and vibraphone; "Phantom Rhapsody" (Concerto for guitar and orchestra) (1991); Three Dances (2002);
• Paul Lansky -- "Semi-Suite" (1997); "Songs of Parting" (2006), for baritone, guitar, percussion; "Six Preludes" (2007), "Guitar Concerto: With the Grain" (2009)
• Mario Lavista "Natarayah" (1997)
• Tania Leon "Bailarin" (1998)
• David Leisner "Three James Tate Songs" (2007) baritone and guitar
• Gerald Levenson "Here of amazing most now" (1999) for guitar, saxophone, and six instruments
• David Liptak "Forlane" (1999)
• John Anthony Lennon — Another's Fandango (1981), Gigolo (1996), Guitar Concerto Zingari (1991)
• Elisabeth Lutyens — Romanza (1977)
• Steve Mackey -- "San Francisco Shuffle" (1997)
• Tod Machover -- "Four Songs" (1973); "Guitar Concerto" (1978); "Deplacements" (1979) for guitar and computer-generated tape; "Bug-Mudra" (1989–90) for 2 guitars, percussion and live computer electronics;
• Colin Matthews "Introduction, Chaconne and Corrente" (1999)
• Jorge Morel -- "Reflexiones Latinas" (1997)
• John Musto -- "Songs" (2010) baritone and guitar
• Akemi Naito -- "The Idea of Order at Key West" (2007) baritone, guitar, percussion
• Per Nørgård -- "Serenita" (1996)
• Frank Oteri -- "Manipulacao" (2004)
• Apostolos Paraskevas -- "Chase Dance" (1996)
• Mel Powell -- "Setting" (1986)
• James Primosch -- "Dancing with Mondrian"
• Karl Aage Rasmussen "Invisible Mirrors" (1999) concerto for guitar and chamber orchestra
• Jay Reise -- "Dragonflies Sing Near" (1999)
• Roger Reynolds -- "The Behaviour of Mirrors" (1986)
• Ronald Roxbury - "Quasimodo at Wit's End" (1968/9) for flute, guitar and bass; "Le Sofa de Solfege" (1974) for soprano and guitar; "Four Driscoll Songs" for baritone, guitar and water instruments; "Joe" (1975); "Lullaby for R.J.S." (1980); "There is No Void..." (1985); "Two Last Songs" (1986) for baritone, flute and guitar
• Poul Ruders — Etude and Ricercare (1994), Chaconne (1997), Pages 1–10 (2008); "Pages" 11-13" (2010),"Guitar Concerto No. 1 "Psalmodies"" for guitar and nine instruments (1986), "Solo Suite from Psalmodies" (1987); "Guitar Concerto No. 2 "Paganini Variations"" for guitar and orchestra (2000); Solo version of "Paganini Variations" (2002); New Rochelle Suite (2005) for guitar and percussion.
• Robert Saxton — Night Dance (1987); "Miniature Dance for a Marionette Rabbi" (1999)
• Gunther Schuller — Fantasy Suite (1994)
• Leo Smit - "Dickinson Songs" (1988–90) baritone and guitar
• Gregg Smith "Steps" (1975) for soprano and guitar
• Stephen Sondheim "Sunday Song Set" (1984) for baritone and guitar (arr. Michael Starobin, rev. Stephen Sondheim; from the show "Sunday in the Park with George")
• Bent Sørensen — Angelus Waltz (1996)
• David Starobin - "The Rapdity of Sleep" (1972); "Sensations musicales" (1973); "Trio" for flute, guitar/mandolin, piano (1974); "Three Places in New Rochelle" (2002) guitar and percussion; "Variations on a Theme by Carl Nielsen" (2010); Berceuse bas de gamme (2010) for cheap electric guitar.
• Michael Starobin "Short Piece" (1976); "V" (1979) for 9 guitars; "Chase" (1987) for guitar and electronics; "The Snoid Trucks Up Broadway" (1997); "Joshua Variations" (1992); "Four Stevens" (1992) for baritone and guitar; "Wedding Song" (2005) for voice and guitar; "Anniversary Song" for voice and guitar(2007)
• Melinda Wagner — Arabesque (1999)
• Anna Weesner - "An August Rhythm" (1999)
• Richard Wernick — "Da'ase" (1996); "Trochaic Trot" (2000); "The Name of the Game" (2002) (Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Ensemble); "Tristram Redux" (2006) for baritone, guitar, percussion

Sound files from recordings

• Paul Lansky - Crooked Courante (from Newdance (Bridge Records 9084))
• John Anthony Lennon - Another's Fandango (1981) (from Guitar, Vol. 1-3 (Bridge Records 9009))
• Elliott Carter - Changes (1983) (from New Music With Guitar, Vol. 1-3 (Bridge Records 9009))
• Bryan Johanson - Open Up Your Ears (1997) (from Newdance (Bridge Records 9084))
• Mario Davidovsky - Synchronisms No. 10 (1992) (from New Music with Guitar, Volume 5 (Bridge Records 9042))

External links

• Information
• Information at the website of: Manhattan School of Music
• Worth Fretting Over (Interview - transcript available)
• Art of the States: David Starobin Four pieces performed by the guitarist
• UCF Guitar Series: David Starobin plays. (2009) Performance Video
• Some photos of LP covers (Oviatt Library Digital Collections)