In this episode, we hear from one of today’s most avid commissioners of new guitar works and current chair of the guitar department at San Francisco Conservatory, David Tanenbaum.

The conversation dives deep into David’s experiences working with legendary composers of the last decade including Toru Takemitsu, Steve Reich, and Hans Werner Henze. One fascinating story David shares is how Henze asked him to construct many of the chords in his Guitar Concerto by initially providing him with 10 notes and saying, "I kind of like all these notes, you make the chords!" David also talks about the importance of actively commissioning new works for the classical guitar and ways to get modern composers excited about doing so.

Intro Music: Brandenburg Concerto 6 (J.S. Bach) - LAGQ

Electric Counterpoint (Steve Reich) - David Tanenbaum