David K. Israel

David K. Israel
Israel at Book Soup, August 2026.
BornPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationCinnaminson High School
University of Hartford Hartt School
Occupations
  • Composer
  • author
  • screenwriter
  • film producer
Years active1987–present
Websitewww.davidkisrael.me

David K. Israel (born 1967 or 1968) is an American composer, essayist, author, screenwriter, and producer. He has composed music for groups including the American Symphony Orchestra, Twyla Tharp Dance, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. He has also written columns for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and is one of the founding bloggers of Mental Floss. His first novel, Behind Everyman: A Novel for Guys and the Women Who Rescue Them, was published in 2005. Most recently he is the author of the novel, The Lost Mozart.

Early life

Israel was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey, where he graduated from Cinnaminson High School. He also studied guitar with jazz artist Pat Martino separately while Martino was recovering from a brain aneurysm. Martino was impressed with Israel's grasp of the guitar and technology and asked if he'd hold off on his college plans, and if he was interested in collaborating on an album. The two would co-write and record an album of songs together in 1987, which is unreleased.

He attended and graduated from the University of Hartford Hartt School. He chose the school because Leonard Bernstein frequented the campus. Israel worked with Jerome Robbins on the Bernstein, Robbins, Guarre, Sondheim project, The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Career

Israel and Bernstein were scheduled to meet for dinner in 1990, but Bernstein died a month before the meeting. A memorial concert for Bernstein was produced by Israel, who later met Bernstein's former assistant in March 1991, who administered the estate of Bernstein's publishing company. Israel was hired to edit and publish definitive editions of Bernstein works, which included West Side Story and On the Town.

Musical composition

In 1997, Israel was commissioned by the Paul Taylor Dance Company to compose the score for Prime Numbers, which premiered on January, 10, 1997.

Israel was commissioned again by the Paul Taylor Dance Company to compose the score for The Word, which premiered on March 4, 1998 at New York City Center.

During these years he also fulfilled commissions by such groups as The American Symphony Orchestra and Twyla Tharp Dance.

Israel, with choreographer Silas Farley, collaborated on Architects of Time, the centerpiece of the New York City Ballet's 2022 Stravinsky Festival. Architects of Time premiered on May 5, 2022, and was based on a 1946 musical exchange between George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky.

During the summer of 2023, Israel worked with choreographer and dancer, Melissa Toogood, to create a new work for the Vail Dance Festival. Willed to the Next Corner, premiered with Sara Mearns, Miriam Miller, India Bradley and Toogood, and the score was performed by Brooklyn Rider.

He was also commissioned by the Colburn School to create a new work with choreographer and dancer, Janie Taylor. The piece, Contour and Flight, premiered in 2023.

vildwerk., a non-profit organization that raises environmental awareness through the performing arts, commissioned Israel to score the music for Network in 2024 with choreography by Gianna Reisen. He would collaborate with vildwerk. again in 2025 on When the Water Breaks, with choreography by Bradley Shelver.

Screenplays and writing

In November 2015, it was announced that Israel was writing a film about choreographer George Balanchine.

In September 2017, it was announced that Israel would be co-writing a TV series with director R. J. Cutler about the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. The project was to be produced by Fremantle, and was ordered to series by the History Channel. However, in April 2018, it was announced that the History Channel had cancelled production of the series.

Israel was also announced to be a writer for a series about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with director Adam Shankman. Global Road was announced to produce the series, according to an article published in Variety in October 2019.

Israel's first novel, Behind Everyman: A Novel for Guys and the Women Who Rescue Them was published by Random House (Ballantine 2005). In 2026, Israel's next novel, The Lost Mozart, was published by Regalo Press.

His humor columns have appeared in the Los Angeles Times' West Magazine and the Palisadian-Post, and was one of the founding bloggers of Mental Floss, among others. He has also written columns for The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post.

Israel lived in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles where he produced a series of Sunday Salon concerts. Israel lost his home in the Palisades Fire.

Selected musical works

Selected written works

References

  1. 1 2 "Neighbors in the News; A pleasant surprise for a Toastmaster', The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 15, 1988. Accessed September 6, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "David Israel, 20, said one of his 'best moves ever' was to enroll at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn.... After his graduation from Cinnaminson High School, Israel worked with Pat Martino, a Philadelphia jazz guitarist."
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "5 Questions with David K. Israel about Music for Dance". dancermusic.com. May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Bertola, Andrea (January 10, 1997). "PRIME NUMBERS". Paul Taylor Dance Company. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Kisselgoff, Anna (March 6, 1998). "DANCE REVIEW; Busting out of the Straitjacket With Paul Taylor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Israel, By David K. (May 23, 2025). "I Saved My Special Wine for Special Occasions. Then I Lost Everything". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Israel, David K. (May 7, 2026). "Opinion | What really killed Mozart? You don't want to know". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Israel, David K. (August 4, 2026). "The lost Mozart manuscripts - and the delight of discovery". The Boston Globe. ISSN 0743-1791. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "David K. Israel". Mental Floss. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  9. ↑ "5 the-jazz-guitar-life-podcast-ep-7-featuring-david-k-israel". thejazzguitarlife.com. March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Episode 322. Resilience Part 3, Pat Martino and David K Israel". Discovering Jazz. December 17, 2025. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 Grisar, P. J. (August 3, 2026). "He stumbled upon Leonard Bernstein's stubble on his way to finding a 'Lost Mozart'". The Forward. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ Macaulay, Alastair (March 11, 2008). "A Season's Worth of Splashes From Paul Taylor's Rich Reservoir". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  13. ↑ "New York City Ballet Will Not Perform at the David H. Koch Theater During the Winter and Spring of 2021 | New York City Ballet".
  14. ↑ Mead, David (October 26, 2020). "New York City Ballet cancels New York winter and spring seasons". Seeing Dance. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  15. ↑ "The 10-Year Evolution of Silas Farley and David K. Israel's Architects of Time". Playbill. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Architects of Time | New York City Ballet". www.nycballet.com. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Dance Academy Students Present the World Premiere of Contour and Flight". colburnschool.edu. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ "vildwerk.: Choreographers come together to protect our planet through dance". Dance Informa Magazine. October 3, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Curtain Up: Celebrating 45 Years of Dance and the Future of Broadway". New York Social Diary. March 3, 2026. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  20. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 24, 2015). "Gulfstream Pictures Dancing With George Balanchine Biopic".
  21. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 24, 2015). "Ballet Biopic on Choreographer George Balanchine in the Works". Variety.
  22. ↑ Jr, Mike Fleming (November 24, 2015). "Gulfstream Pictures Dancing With George Balanchine Biopic". Deadline. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  23. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 14, 2017). "History Orders Bill Clinton Impeachment Drama Series 'The Breach' From RJ Cutler". Deadline. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  24. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 14, 2017). "History Orders Bill Clinton Impeachment Drama Series 'The Breach' From RJ Cutler". Deadline. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  25. ↑ "History Greenlights Scripted Drama Series 'The Breach: Inside The Impeachment Of Bill Clinton' From R.J. Cutler And FMNA | FremantleMedia". www.fremantlemedia.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  26. ↑ Nakamura, Reid (April 4, 2018). "Bill Clinton Impeachment Drama 'The Breach' Scrapped by History". TheWrap. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  27. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (October 16, 2017). "IM Global Television Tunes Up Mozart Series and Ford-Ferrari Drama (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  28. ↑ The Lost Mozart. August 4, 2026. ISBN 979-8-89565-416-3.
  29. ↑ Israel, David K. (August 27, 2026). "This Town Is Big Enough for Two David Israels". Palisadian-Post. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  30. ↑ Israel, David K. (September 17, 2006). "New Season, No Survivors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Meet David K. Israel of PACIFIC PALISADES - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2026.