David Woodard

Conductor

What is David Woodard known for?

David Woodard, born in Santa Barbara, California on April 6, 1964, is an American conductor and writer known for his unique contributions to the world of music and literature. A proud graduate of San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, Woodard has an intriguing life trajectory that has left significant footprints in various domains.

Woodard rose to prominence in the 1990s, introducing the term prequiem—a portmanteau of preemptive and requiem. This term represents his Buddhist practice of composing music dedicated to a person during or slightly before their death. Woodard has served as a conductor or music director at multiple Los Angeles memorial services, significant among these was a 2001 civic ceremony at the Angels Flight funicular railway.

Renowned for his distinctive style, Woodard is known to favor colored inks when preparing a score. He has demonstrated his musical prowess through a variety of unique performances, such as conducting wildlife requiems, one notably for a California brown pelican on the berm crest of a beach where the animal had fallen.

In one of the most significant events of his career, Timothy McVeigh asked Woodard to conduct a prequiem Mass on the eve of his execution in Terre Haute, Indiana. Woodard complied, premiering the coda section of his composition "Ave Atque Vale" with a local brass choir at St. Margaret Mary Church. The performance was provided for an audience that included the following morning's witnesses. Woodard's full score was blessed by Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein and later Cardinal Roger Mahony under the petition of Pope John Paul II.

Woodard's influence extends beyond music into the world of art and literature. His replicas of the Dreamachine, a mildly psychoactive lamp, have been exhibited in art museums around the globe. As a writer, Woodard has contributed to literary journals, writing about topics as diverse as interspecies karma, plant consciousness, and the Paraguayan settlement Nueva Germania.

In 2003, Woodard was elected councilman in Juniper Hills, Los Angeles County, California. He proposed a sister city relationship with Nueva Germania, Paraguay, sparking a deep interest in the community that would influence his subsequent works. He formulated intriguing perspectives about the colony's founding ideals and composed the choral anthem "Our Jungle Holy Land".

Between 2004 and 2006, Woodard led numerous expeditions to Nueva Germania, capturing the interest and support of then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. This exploration further led to a collaboration with Swiss writer Christian Kracht, where Woodard granted Kracht license to publish their private correspondence about Nueva Germania.

The life and works of David Woodard testify to his polymathic nature, leaving an indelible mark in the domains of music, writing, and intercultural studies.