Dan Marschak
composer
Piano, Synthesizer, Melodica, Percussion
“I always enjoy listening to whatever Dan has to say musically” -JOHN ADAMS Daniel Marschak (b. 1986) is an Oakland-born jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a composer, Marschak reflects his love of both improvised music and contemporary classical music, and deals with extended harmonies and textures with an improvisatory approach. He has written works for a variety of ensembles and instrumentations, from solo percussionist to full orchestra, and is a founding member of composers collective LA Signal Lab. His 2013 composition Two Rivers was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra, and was workshopped and performed by the La Jolla Symphony under the direction of Steven Schick in September 2013. Recent works for LA Signal Lab include 2015’s coalesce and Prelude To Ys composed for the dynamic piano duo HOCKET. Marschak holds an MA in Composition from UCLA, where his primary teachers were Paul Chihara, James Newton, Ian Krouse, Roger Bourland, and David S. Lefkowitz. He also holds dual BA’s from UCLA in Composition and Ethnomusicology (Jazz Studies) and taught and designed a yearlong music theory course at UCLA from 2012-2015. He is currently full time faculty at Las Positas College in Livermore, where he teaches composition, music theory, piano, and piano pedagogy. He also maintains an active schedule as a jazz pianist, and has performed with a variety of respected musicians at venues across the country. Marschak’s debut album Likewise was heralded as “adventurous and well developed” by Lalo Schifrin. Steering clear of conventional formats, the album explores an array of genres, instrumentations, and textures, while maintaining a unique compositional sensibility.In 2011, he co-founded Well Versed Productions, a music composition/production company with notable producer and drummer Miles Senzaki. Together, they have scored many projects, including several short films and three full-length feature films.