WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Intuition, Emotion, Surprise, Beauty, Melody. Put all these together and you have the brilliance of David Brunner’s music – surprising melody, beautiful emotions. David has an intuitive gift for moving us – it comes from a deep heart.”
Nick Page
Composer/Song Leader
“Brace Yourself!”
(after hearing the premiere of All I Was Doing Was Breathing at the 2009 national ACDA convention)
Paul Caldwell
Composer/Artistic Director
Youth Choral Theater of Chicago
“David Brunner’s music has an immediacy that is attractive to an audience – it makes them sit up and take it in and be glad they did! His strong sense of vocal line, his solid musicianship and his interesting text settings make his choral music an important voice in our time.”
Philip Brunelle
Artistic Director and Founder, VocalEssence
“I have been delighted to conduct several of David Brunner’s compositions in recent years. These works have been very well-crafted and musically engaging for both the performers and the audience. David’s compositional style reveals a rich, colorful sense of choral as well as instrumental sonority. He constructs musical phrases with an elegant sense of voice leading which highlights his strong sensitivity to expressive textual nuance. His works are quality additions to the modern choral repertory!”
Anton Armstrong
Director of the St. Olaf Choir
St. Olaf College
"I know David Brunner as a very fine composer and person. For his compositions he always chooses interesting and profound texts. Simple Boat is a perfect combination of texts from an Irish Fisherman's Prayer and a Buddhist text. It is an expressive work, composed with great musical integrity and beautiful melodies. The first performance of Simple Boat was very emotional and moving and had a marvelous response by the audience, who gave a standing ovation. Thank you, David, for, again, a very valuable enlargement of the choral literature."
Dion Ritten
Conductor, Weerter Gemengd Koor "VIVACE"
The Netherlands
“As a result of his formidable craft, David Brunner has brought a wealth of new music to the treble voice library and we who direct children’s choirs are the great beneficiaries of his creative work. He always selects superb poetry from which to draw his musical ideas, and develops these ideas with the development of the child’s voice close at heart.”
Jean Ashworth Bartle
Founder/Music Director
Toronto Children's Chorus
“The music of David Brunner is a wonderful addition to today’s choral literature. He offers us a combination of well-selected texts and well-crafted composition. His music ranges from exhilarating to profoundly moving. It is presented all over the world in church, high school and collegiate settings to great acclaim. Musicians in all settings respond overwhelmingly to the artistry as a composer and conductor. I am so appreciative of the contribution David has made to choral music. He is a master at his craft!”
Sigrid Johnston
Director of the Manitou Singers
St. Olaf College
"The choral music of David Brunner resonates with imagination, lyricism and vitality. He is America’s next Ned Rorem."
Doreen Rao
Director of Choral Programmes
University of Toronto
"I have been aware of David Brunner’s music for many years and admired it immensely. The first pieces my group performed were The Us of Me and O Music, both of which were sensational. Three years ago, a friend introduced me to the treble version of Circles of Our Lives and I immediately started on a crusade to get David to transcribe it for men’s voices. I could just hear it, but he wasn’t so sure. I finally prevailed, however, and he did the transcription. We love it as have audiences from Dallas to Montreal. In fact, it will be one of ten all-time favorite pieces of our 25 years selected for a new anniversary coffee table book/CD collection. The music is intoxicating and the lyrics speak to every single person who will listen. I look forward to performing many more of David’s incredible works."
Timothy Seelig
Artistic Director
Turtle Creek Chorale
“I was fortunate to have met and worked with David Brunner through the CME program created by Doreen Rao. In the many years since I’ve known his work, his music continues to inspire and amaze me. He has the gift of line and phrasing as well as the ability to grab your attention immediately through the beauty of his music."
Francisco Nunez
Composer/Artistic Director
Young Peoples’ Choir of New York City
“David Brunner’s music is lyrical, fresh-sounding and always creative. His compositions are written with the abilities and needs of the singer in mind – thus, his music is a favorite with the choir as well as the audience!”
Lynne Gackle
Founder/Artistic Director
Gulf Coast Youth Choirs
“David Brunner writes contemporary art songs for choirs of all ages. From the whimsical Eletelephony to his lush, mixed chorus pieces David’s music is a singer’s dream. I was delighted to be able to premiere his composition with the Oklahoma Children’s All-State Chorus. The young people had an immediate connection with the music, and the composition allowed their voices to soar. I have programmed the music of Brunner for all-state choruses throughout the country, and every piece is written in a way that allows the voices to shine. David is a teacher-conductor as well as composer and is able to relate to the singers in an engaging manner. He is at home with singers from age 8 through adult professionals.
Janet Galvan
Ithaca College
“Brunner wants choir and audience to achieve rapture, and bless him for that.”
Stephen Hatfield
Composer
“As a composer, David Brunner enriches the lives of countless singers with his expertly crafted choral works set to inspiring texts. Dr. Brunner’s inquisitive nature and zest for life energizes his music and continues to make his work with singers relevant and meaningful in a rapidly changing world. I continue to find personal satisfaction in several of his works, which I have programmed many times for honor and festival choirs. David Brunner has created a world “full of poetry” through his compositions and many contributions to the field of choral music.”
Judith Willoughby
Conducting and Music Education
Oklahoma City University
