Drake Mabry

Drake Mabry is a composer/performer, painter/photographer and poet.

Drake Mabry has lived in France since 1988 working as a performer, composer, teacher and director. From 1999 to 2006 he was director of the French government subsidized CEFEDEM School of Music in Poitiers, France. He has been a member of the French Ministry of Culture’s commission on higher education in Europe and is currently a member of the French Ministry of Culture's Commission of Experts.

His musical studies were with Harold Gomberg (oboe) at the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools of Music where he received his Bachelors degree in 1971. He holds a Masters of Music degree in composition from Rice University and a Doctorate in composition from the University of California in San Diego. His principal composition teachers were Will Ogdon, Paul Cooper, Krysztof Penderecki, and John Cage.

In 1971 he began his musical career as principal oboe with orchestras in the United States, Canada, and England. In 1975 he pursued his interests in the jazz world playing saxophone, flute and clarinet in the Aspen Music Festival Big Band and in his own quintet. Since 1978 he has concentrated on composition and improvisation.

Drake Mabry has written over 150 works including 50 commissions (7 Commandes de l'Etat) for soloists, ensembles, and orchestras. He has received numerous performances of his music in the United States, Israel, Asia, and Europe. He is regularly invited as composer in residence and received the "Bourse de la Creation 1996" from the Conseil General des Vosges.

His music is published by Editions Musicales Europeenes, Editions Henry Lemoine, Editions Transatlantiques, Shawnee Press and Drake Mabry Publishing. His music is recorded on the compact disc labels: Musique Francaise d'Aujourd'hui Radio France, Neuma, l'Atout Vosgien, Hopi, and Berlioz Historic Brass.

He has taught at Rice University, and Dartmouth College in the US and at the University of Strasbourg, University of Rennes, and the University of Poitiers in France.

He performs regularly with TWO, an ensemble consisting of Maria-Dorner Hofmann: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Paetzold recorders and voice along with Drake Mabry: Turkish ney, percussion and bamboo clarinet. Their music is available at www.two-music.com, Youtube and at CDBaby.

His poetry, paintings and photographs have been used by theatre groups, performers and composition students as resources for improvisation and composition in their concerts. His new bilingual poetry book 'Drakedonius' was published by LePlac'Art in March 2011.

From 2012 to 2014 he studied the Turkish ney and ebru painting in Istanbul.

Press Reviews

"fleet virtuosic essay" N.Y. Times

"in contemporary music, version Drake Mabry, inspiration is everywhere" French television, M6 Decouverte

"Interpreter, Composer, Instrument maker, Handyman - a virtuoso" Radio France, Yvan Amar, Coda,