David A. Jaffe is a composer, performer, computer music innovator, software developer, and author. He has composed over 90 works for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles, and electronics, and is renowned for his personal “maximalist” approach and use of technology.
Jaffe’s music first attracted international attention in 1982 when his “Silicon Valley Breakdown ,” for synthesized plucked strings, was featured at the Venice Biennale and acclaimed by Le Monde and Newsweek as a landmark of computer music. This piece has since been performed in over 25 countries and has contributed to his reputation as one of the leading composers working with technology. In addition, his acoustic music for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments has been widely performed and commissioned.
His seminal technical achievements include the physical modeling of plucked strings and the development of the NeXT Music Kit for Steve Jobs. He has taught at Princeton, Stanford, and Melbourne Universities, and at UC San Diego. His writings on technical and aesthetic issues have been widely published.