About

Dave Volpe is a composer residing in the warmth and glamour of Los Angeles. A proud Massachusetts native and brief New Yorker, he has the soul of an east coaster, but is delighted to call California his home.

During his time in LA, Dave has written music for multiple feature films including Golden Christmas 2 (aka 3 Holiday Tails), which is broadcast annually on the ION Network, and The Shift starring Danny Glover. He has also written for countless short films and various other media. A graduate of the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Program at USC, he was afforded many unique opportunities, including a mentorship with renown film composer and longtime hero Thomas Newman, whose unique approach to composing had a profound effect on Dave’s own writing. In addition to Mr. Newman, Dave has learned from and worked with many leading professionals including Bruce Broughton, Jack Smalley, and Blake Neely. 

Along with his work in films, Dave is a singer and accomplished choral arranger and composer. He has had arrangements commissioned by numerous LGBT choruses across the country including the Turtle Creek Chorale, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, the Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. In the fall of 2017 he was commissioned jointly by seven choruses for an arrangement of A Christmas Song from the Broadway musical Elf. In early 2018 he was commissioned for an arrangement of This Is Me from the motion picture musical The Greatest Showman, which has subsequently been performed by 13 choruses (and counting!). In early 2017 Dave was commissioned to write a new piece for Knoxville’s 5th anniversary, which was premiered in May 2017. In July 2014 Dave received his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut via a work for chorus and orchestra entitled Nebula of Angels, which was commissioned and premiered by GMCLA for their 35th anniversary. He has also been commissioned by the L.A. Choral Lab and enjoys many performances of his arrangements by choruses all over the country every year.

Dave also composes concert music for ensembles of various shapes and sizes. Whether it’s the dance of an evil spirit in Oak Demon for solo contrabassoon or the adventures of a girl with owl wings in Gwinna for flute, viola, and harp, he brings the visual storytelling of his film music into the concert world. He has a collection of concert music published by Los Angeles music publisher Fatrock Ink. His most recently published work, Dragon Lullaby for solo piano, has been among the company’s biggest sellers in 2018.

In addition to composing, Dave is a comedic actor, starring in commercials and movies as well as a working voiceover artist most recently featured in the video game Trials of Mana (April 2020). He is also an avid cook and baker, calligrapher, reader, and self-proclaimed podcast junkie.

Dave with composer Thomas Newman at the recording session for The Judge

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For a full list of credits, visit me on IMDB