David DeBoor Canfield

The music of David DeBoor Canfield has been heard on five continents, and has been performed by some of the world’s most accomplished soloists, including saxophonists Claude Delangle, Otis Murphy, Stephen Page, Timothy Roberts, Kenneth Tse, and the Zzyzx, Oasis, and Kenari Quartets; violinists Andres Cardenas, Roger Frisch, and Rachel Patrick; cellists Anthony Elliott, Jerome Jellinek, Robert La Marchina, and Daniel Rothmuller, pianists John O’Conor, David Brunell, and Benjamin Boren; trombonist Carl Lenthe; clarinetists Howard Klug and Ronald Caravan; conductors Ian Hobson and Laszlo Varga, and ensembles such as the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, “The President’s Own” United States Marine and United States Navy Bands, Orchestre de la Garde Republicaine, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. Canfield’s music has won numerous accolades including first place in the Jill Sackler Composition Contest and the Dean’s Prize from Indiana University. His music formed the basis of the three-day Chiefly Canfield Festival given by faculty and students of the University of Central Oklahoma in 2001, and has been featured at the World Saxophone Congresses of 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012 & 2018. In 1982, his vocal cycle Cats was analyzed in a master class given at Indiana University by Leonard Bernstein. Canfield’s Concerto after Khachaturian opened the 4th International Khachaturian Festival in Yerevan, Armenia on October 6, 2016, and in 2017, he was commissioned by the US Navy Band to write his Concerto after Dvorak for Saxophone Quartet and Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

Canfield was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 23, 1950. Early musical studies were with his father, John Canfield, and graduate studies in composition were undertaken at Indiana University, where Canfield studied primarily with John Eaton, as well as with Frederick Fox and Bernhard Heiden. He received his Master of Music in 1977 and Doctor of Music in 1983. Around 100 of the approximately 200 works in his official catalog have been published to date by Jeanne, Inc., TRN, Evensong Music, Éditions Recherché, JP Publications, and Shanghai Conservatory of Music Press; most of them can also be heard on the Albany, Ars Produktion, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, Crystal, Enharmonic, Jeanne Digital Recordings, Kunaki, Mark, Move, MSR, Navona, Recherche, Toccata Classics, and US Navy Band labels. He is a member of ASCAP and the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers.

What others are saying about David DeBoor Canfield and his music:

The saxophone music of David DeBoor Canfield demonstrates the composer's immense talent while exploring the many facets of the instrument's enormous capabilities as a means of musical expression.
Eugene Rousseau, Professor of Saxophone, University of Minnesota

David DeBoor Canfield is one of the most sophisticated and versatile composers I know. His works for saxophone are tremendous contributions to the repertoire.
Kenneth Tse, Professor of Saxophone, University of Iowa

I have played many times during the two last concert seasons David DeBoor Canfield’s saxophone work, "Concerto after Gliere" with huge success, not only among the audience, but also among saxophone colleagues attending. They immediately took note of David’s name for their future concert programs, a very good sign for his European recognition!
Claude Delangle, Professor of Saxophone, Paris Conservatoire

David DeBoor Canfield’s compositions have logic, humor, and a flair for drama that immediately engages the audience. His gift for melody is eminently suited to the saxophone – that most singing of instruments – and his music is a pleasure to perform.
Thomas Liley, Executive Committee, North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA), Comite International de Saxophone

Contact the composer at david@daviddeboorcanfield.com