BIOGRAPHY

The compositions of Luke Dahn are heard throughout the United States and abroad, with recent performances given by groups such as the Moscow Conservatory Studio for New Music, the NODUS Ensemble, the NEXTET Ensemble, Composers Inc., the University of Iowa Center for New Music and the violin/piano duo Wolfgang David and David Gompper. Venues have included Rachmaninoff Hall (Moscow), the Estonia Academy of Music (Tallinn), the Frankfurter KuenstlerKlub, Harvard University’s Memorial Church, the Miami ISCM Festival Series and the N.E.O.N. (Nevada Encounters of New Music) Festival at which he was recently awarded the Max Di Julio Prize. His music has been described as being "superbly concise" (Fanfare Magazine) and "terrific...awfully good" (Sequenza21).

His most recent compositions include ...Like a Fantastic Ague for large ensemble which was premiered and featured on the University of Iowa Center for New Music spring 2011 tour, Dash, a brass quintet fanfare written for the Boston Brass, Buffalo Dance for saxophonist Kenneth Tse, and Traces for pianist Ryan Fogg which is featured on a new disc on the Albany record label (TROY1288).

Several other of Dahn’s works are available on the Albany label. Penumbrae for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano has been recorded by Moscow Conservatory’s Studio for New Music (TROY1095). Downward Courses for solo piano is featured on a disc entitled MAPP: Midwest American Piano Project recorded by pianist Stacey Barelos (TROY1069), and Edges for large ensemble has been recorded by the University of Iowa’s renowned Center for New Music for a disc commemorating the Center’s fortieth anniversary (TROY956).

Dahn is also a dedicated educator having recently been named the 2011 recipient of the Northwestern College Teaching Excellence Award. He currently serves both as Assistant Professor of music theory & composition at Northwestern and as chair of the music department. Dahn earned degrees from the University of Iowa, Western Michigan University, and Houston Baptist University. His primary teachers have included David Gompper, C. Curtis-Smith and Ann K. Gebuhr.

Dahn CV