"A master of the instrument. Mr. Tanenbaum played so musically and so expressively that the listener was led directly to the essence of each composer." —The New York Times
Recognized internationally as an outstanding performer and recording artist, a charismatic educator, and a transcriber and editor of both taste and intelligence, David Tanenbaum is one of the most admired classical guitarists of his generation. He has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia, the former Soviet Union and Asia, and in 1988 he became the first American guitarist to be invited to perform in China by the Chinese government.
He has produced many editions of guitar music, including the David Tanenbaum Concert Series for Guitar Solo Publications. He has also written a series of three books, The Essential Studies, which analyze the etudes of Sor, Carcassi and Brouwer and compliment his recordings of those works on GSP, and his chapter on the Revival of the Classical Guitar in the 20th Century appears in the Cambridge Companion to the Guitar.
David Tanenbaum is currently Chair of the Guitar Department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he received the 1995 Outstanding Professor Award. He is in demand for master classes worldwide, and several of Tanenbaum’s students have won international competitions, many of his former students hold teaching positions internationally.
David Tanenbaum studied guitar with Rolando Valdez-Blain, Aaron Shearer and Michael Lorimer, attending the San Francisco Conservatory and Peabody Conservatory. Further studies included work with pianist Jeanne Stark-Iochmans and harpsichordist Laurette Goldberg.
COURSES TAUGHT
- Applied Lessons
- Guitar Ensemble
EDUCATION
- BM, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
ENSEMBLES
- San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, 2008–Present
- World Guitar Ensemble, 2003–2006
- Ensemble Modern, 1986–2000
- Pacific Guitar Ensemble, 2012-present
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
- 2003 Grammy Nomination as soloist on Nonesuch recording of John Adams’ Naive and Sentimental Music with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Outstanding Professor Award 1995 San Francisco Conservatory
RECORDING AWARDS
- Critics Choice Award: “25 best CD’s or the last 25 years” -Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
- The Desert-Isle Top 100 (5 Classical): Acoustic Guitar Magazine
What is your hometown?
What is your favorite recording?
Glenn Gould — Consort of Musicke by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons
What are you passionate about outside of music?
Baseball, basketball, biking, hiking, reading, body surfing, and dogs.
Who were your major teachers?
Rolando Valdés-Blain, Aaron Shearer, and Laurette Goldberg.
What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?
“It’s like driving at night with the headlights on. You can only see a little ways ahead of you, but you can make the whole journey that way.”
—E.L. Doctorow on the artistic process
What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?
Hearing an Andrés Segovia concert.
What was a turning point in your career?
When Hans Werner Henze wrote me a concerto.
If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?
Writing.
What is your daily practice routine?
At least two hours.
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert.
What are your most important collaborations?
Composers Hans Werner Henze, Steve Reich, Toru Takemitsu, Terry Riley, Lou Harrison and Aaron Jay Kernis.
What recordings can we hear you on?
The Complete Guitar Music of Sofia Gubaidulina, Naxos
Acoustic Counterpoint, New Albion
David Tanenbaum plays Weiss, Acoustic Music Records
Naive and Sentimental Music, Nonesuch
The Book of Abbeyozzud, New Albion
What is your unrealized project?
A guitar piece from Ligeti.
