I'm David John Lang.
I'm an Australian composer, and I live in Adelaide by a river. I write music for orchestras, choirs, singers and instrumentalists. It's always my intention to create art that is inventive, thoughtful and heartfelt. I often find music somewhere amongst my love of nature, my Christian faith, a whimsical sense of humour, and an instinct for drama.
You can find out more about me at my composer’s website, www.davidjohnlang.com.
Here are some of the other things I’ve written:
Why am I doing Mark Illuminated?
This project is the convergence of several threads of my life. Over the years, I simply grew to feel that this was a story I needed to tell...
Firstly, I love the Gospel of Mark.
I believe that the good news (the 'Gospel') about Jesus Christ is the most important story there is – and, what's more, it's true. I am especially drawn to the simplicity and urgency in Mark's account of the life of Jesus. This was reinforced when I actually got to play Jesus in a production of The Mark Drama in 2019.
I love storytelling through music.
Whether composing for a children's picture book, a novel, or even a cricket match, I always get excited about music's capacity for bringing a story to life. So much so, in fact, I even did a PhD on musical storytelling (my Doctor of Philosophy in Music Composition was also awarded in 2019… it was a big year).
I love the challenge of joining music with spoken word.
In fact, I've already composed several pieces that include a narrator (a setting of some Australian bush poetry, the picture book mentioned above, and a dramatisation of a tiramisu recipe).
I love live, acoustic, artful music
I've always loved music as a live performance art: real musicians on physical instruments, performing something to hear rather than something to see. And there are many composers writing soundtracks for films and games – but I love exploring what music can do on its own, not as the support for a visual component.
Firstly, I love the Gospel of Mark.
I believe that the good news (the 'Gospel') about Jesus Christ is the most important story there is – and, what's more, it's true. I am especially drawn to the simplicity and urgency in Mark's account of the life of Jesus. This was reinforced when I actually got to play Jesus in a production of The Mark Drama in 2019.
I love storytelling through music.
Whether composing for a children's picture book, a novel, or even a cricket match, I always get excited about music's capacity for bringing a story to life. So much so, in fact, I even did a PhD on musical storytelling (my Doctor of Philosophy in Music Composition was also awarded in 2019… it was a big year).
I love the challenge of joining music with spoken word.
In fact, I've already composed several pieces that include a narrator (a setting of some Australian bush poetry, the picture book mentioned above, and a dramatisation of a tiramisu recipe).
I love live, acoustic, artful music
I've always loved music as a live performance art: real musicians on physical instruments, performing something to hear rather than something to see. And there are many composers writing soundtracks for films and games – but I love exploring what music can do on its own, not as the support for a visual component.
My desire for Mark Illuminated is this:
That this project may unfold to others the story of Jesus, and show it more deeply to some. Inside and outside the church, there are many people who, like myself, seem to hear, to remember, and to understand best when music speaks.
If listening through Mark Illuminated were to help one person to know Jesus better… that would be worth it.
If listening through Mark Illuminated were to help one person to know Jesus better… that would be worth it.