David Maslanka was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1943. He attended the Oberlin College Conservatory where he studied composition with Joseph Wood. He spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and did graduate work in composition at Michigan State University with H. Owen Reed. Maslanka’s works for winds and percussion have become especially well known. They include among others, A Child’s Garden of Dreams for Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Concerto for Piano, Winds and Percussion, the second, third and fourth symphonies (Symphony No. 3 is available on Naxos Wind Band Classics 8.570465), Mass for soloists, chorus, boys chorus, wind orchestra and organ, and the two Wind Quintets. Percussion works include, Variations of ‘Lost Love’ and My Lady White, for solo marimba, and three ensemble works, Arcadia II: Concerto for Marimba and Percussion Ensemble, Crown of Thorns, and Montana Music: Three Dances for Percussion. In addition, he has written a wide variety of chamber, orchestral, and choral pieces.