I am a composer, media designer, and systems-based creative architect working across theatre, film, concert music, electronic and electroacoustic composition, and interactive and immersive environments. I have composed music for over eighty theatrical productions, numerous films, and a wide range of concert, chamber, vocal, electronic, and hybrid works. My music crosses genres by necessity and by choice. Long-standing work in theatre required stylistic fluency across historical idioms, contemporary musical languages, popular and vernacular forms, and world-music traditions, shaped by narrative context and directorial intent. This practice evolved into a focus on transformational composition—music that remaps, hybridizes, and recontextualizes genre rather than inhabiting it passively. My compositional practice is grounded in rules-based and formal methods, used as generative frameworks, and equally informed by improvisatory and intuitive approaches. I aim to create music that is both formally complete and aesthetically ravishing, balancing structural rigor with expressive freedom. I am the principal inventor of Sinfonia®, a virtual orchestral performance system used in hundreds of thousands of live performances worldwide. I hold a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition and Electronic Music and serve as a Professor of Music, Media, and Sound Technology at City University of New York (CUNY).

David B. Smith

I am a composer, media designer, and systems-based creative architect working across theatre, film, concert music, electronic and electroacoustic composition, and interactive and immersive environments. I have composed music for over eighty theatrical productions, numerous films, and a wide range of concert, chamber, vocal, electronic, and hybrid works. My music crosses genres by necessity and by choice. Long-standing work in theatre required stylistic fluency across historical idioms, contemporary musical languages, popular and vernacular forms, and world-music traditions, shaped by narrative context and directorial intent. This practice evolved into a focus on transformational composition—music that remaps, hybridizes, and recontextualizes genre rather than inhabiting it passively. My compositional practice is grounded in rules-based and formal methods, used as generative frameworks, and equally informed by improvisatory and intuitive approaches. I aim to create music that is both formally complete and aesthetically ravishing, balancing structural rigor with expressive freedom. I am the principal inventor of Sinfonia®, a virtual orchestral performance system used in hundreds of thousands of live performances worldwide. I hold a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition and Electronic Music and serve as a Professor of Music, Media, and Sound Technology at City University of New York (CUNY).

Available to hire

I am a composer, media designer, and systems-based creative architect working across theatre, film, concert music, electronic and electroacoustic composition, and interactive and immersive environments. I have composed music for over eighty theatrical productions, numerous films, and a wide range of concert, chamber, vocal, electronic, and hybrid works.

My music crosses genres by necessity and by choice. Long-standing work in theatre required stylistic fluency across historical idioms, contemporary musical languages, popular and vernacular forms, and world-music traditions, shaped by narrative context and directorial intent. This practice evolved into a focus on transformational composition—music that remaps, hybridizes, and recontextualizes genre rather than inhabiting it passively.

My compositional practice is grounded in rules-based and formal methods, used as generative frameworks, and equally informed by improvisatory and intuitive approaches. I aim to create music that is both formally complete and aesthetically ravishing, balancing structural rigor with expressive freedom.

I am the principal inventor of Sinfonia®, a virtual orchestral performance system used in hundreds of thousands of live performances worldwide. I hold a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition and Electronic Music and serve as a Professor of Music, Media, and Sound Technology at City University of New York (CUNY).

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Experience Level

Expert
Intermediate

Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Director, Center for Holistic Integration at City Tech
January 1, 2023 - Present
Academic leadership directing the Center for Holistic Integration; coordinating interdisciplinary initiatives.
Academic Dean, School of Professional Studies at NYC College of Technology
January 1, 2015 - Present
Administrative leadership overseeing school-wide academic programs, policy implementation, and strategic planning.
Professor at NYC College of Technology
January 1, 2011 - Present
Professor of Sound & Music Technology; lead in curriculum development, program administration, and holistic integration initiatives; directs ongoing academic and program activities within the School of Professional Studies.
Associate Professor at NYC College of Technology
January 1, 2005 - January 1, 2011
Developed and delivered courses in aesthetics, composition, music technology, and interdisciplinary projects; contributed to curriculum development and program assessment.
Founding Chair, Entertainment Technology Department at NYC College of Technology
January 1, 2004 - January 1, 2014
Established the Entertainment Technology Department; led program development, staffing, and academic offerings.
Assistant Professor, Sound & Music Technology at NYC College of Technology
January 1, 1997 - January 1, 2005
Taught courses in electronic music, sound synthesis, and related technologies; engaged in student advising and program development.
Adjunct Lecturer, Multitrack Recording at College of Mt. St. Joseph
January 1, 1992 - January 1, 1993
Teaching multitrack recording concepts and practical studio techniques.
Adjunct Lecturer, Digital Synthesis at College of Mt. St. Joseph
January 1, 1992 - January 1, 1993
Instruction in digital synthesis techniques and digital sound production.
Adjunct Lecturer, Analog Synthesis at College of Mt. St. Joseph
January 1, 1992 - January 1, 1993
Instruction in analog synthesis techniques and sound synthesis foundations.
Guest Lecturer, Sound Design for Theater at College - Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati
January 1, 1991 - January 1, 1995
Guest lectures on sound design for theater, contributing to cross-disciplinary teaching and collaborations.

Education

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition and Electronic Music at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 1995
Haussermann Fellowship in Composition at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
January 1, 1985 - January 1, 1986
Master of Music (MM) in Composition and Theory at Westminster College
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 1980
Bachelor of Music (BM) in Applied Composition at Westminster College
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 1978
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Composition & Electronic Music at University of Cincinnati - College-Conservatory of Music
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026

Qualifications

Haussermann Fellowship in Composition
January 1, 1985 - January 1, 1986
US Patent 6696631, Music Performance System
January 1, 2004 - January 6, 2026
US Patent 7335833, Music Performance System
January 1, 2008 - January 6, 2026

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Education, Professional Services, Software & Internet, Other