Who is David Kulma?
Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, David received a Bachelor's degree in oboe performance from Kent State University studying with Danna Sundet. After a year in Boston, David returned to Kent where he received a Master's degree in music composition in 2010, studying with Frank Wiley. He is currently studying privately with Ben Johnston. He is also a part-time lecturer in music theory at Chicago State University, where he teaches classes in written theory and aural skills.
At Kent, he was the music director for Trystero New Music,
an organization dedicated to the dissemination and performance of new
classical and jazz music by Kent State student and alumni composers. He also spent two years as a graduate assistant in music theory. His duties included teaching his own section of the daily
theory/ear training freshman theory course. David is the coauthor of
Kent State's new first-year music theory textbook, How Music Works.
Recent performances of his compositions include Five Phrases for oboe and tuba, A Series of Allusions and Implications: In memoriam Jason Clark for oboe and electronics, and, at the Greater Cleveland Flute Society's 2010 Composers' Connection concert, Two Waxes for flute and piano. His most recently completed work is his composition thesis, Emily, a half-hour long song cycle on poems of Emily Dickinson. David is a member of ASCAP.
As an oboist, David has played with the Erie Philharmonic, Trinity Chamber Orchestra, Warren Philharmonic, Akron Baroque, and Ashland Symphony. He was principal oboist of Kent State University Orchestra for the 2008-09 school year. While a conductor in his undergraduate, in a rare honor he conducted the Kent State University Orchestra on a regular subscription concert. David also spent one summer at the Pierre Monteux School.
He lives in a nice-sized apartment in Chicagoland with many books (music and otherwise) and his wife Kirsten, who continues to work in woodwind instrument repair.
David's website is http://davidkulma.com, and you can follow him on twitter @NewMusicKulma. He is also a official 'friend of the show' over at the new music podcasting network SoundNotion.tv. Check it out.