David Maslanka was born in NewBedford, Massachusetts in 1943. Heattended the Oberlin CollegeConservatory where he studiedcomposition with Joseph Wood. Hespent a year at the Mozarteum inSalzburg, Austria, and did masters anddoctoral study in composition atMichigan State University where hisprincipal teacher was H. Owen Reed.

Maslanka’s music for winds has become especially well known.Among his more than 150 works are over 50 pieces for windensemble, including eight symphonies, seventeen concertos, aMass, and many concert pieces. His chamber music includesfour wind quintets, five saxophone quartets, and many worksfor solo instrument and piano. In addition, he has written avariety of orchestral and choral pieces.

David Maslanka’s compositions are published by MaslankaPress, Carl Fischer, Kjos Music, Marimba Productions, and OUPercussion Press. They have been recorded on Albany,Reference Recordings, BIS (Sweden), Naxos, Cambria, CRI,Mark, Novisse, AUR, Cafua (Japan), Brain Music (Japan),Barking Dog, and Klavier labels. He served on the faculties ofthe State University of New York at Geneseo, SarahLawrence College, New York University, and KingsboroughCommunity College of the City University of New York, andwas a freelance composer in Missoula, Montana from 1990until his death in 2017.