The young David Sanford acquired an enthusiasm for big band music early on, playing trombone from around the age of ten.
That same year he joined the faculty at Mount Holyoke College, where he teaches theory, composition, and various history courses, including one on music of the 1970s.
[1] In 2002, the Rome Prize took Sanford to Italy for a year, and he formed the Pittsburgh Collective on his return, inviting players from a classical background as well as jazz musicians.
[2] The group's debut album (Oxingale OX2010) was recorded live at the Knitting Factory in 2005, with Matt Haimovitz as a cello soloist.
Works by Sanford have been performed by the Chamber Society of Lincoln Center, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Chicago Symphony Chamber Players, Detroit Symphony, Corvini e lodice Roma Jazz Ensemble, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Speculum Musicae.