Although contemporary musicians are often used to honing different skills, David Starobin might well be the musical equivalent of a decathlete. The New York-based guitarist\u2019s activities include solo, chamber, and orchestral performances; conducting; teaching at the Manhattan School of Music and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia; serving as artistic director for the Grammy-winning label and artist management group Bridge Records (which he founded); composing; prose writing; documentary work; and, most recently, writing the libretto for The Thirteenth Child<\/em>, the latest opera from Danish composer Poul Ruders.<\/p>\n Starobin is perhaps best known for his long and fruitful association with composers such as Ruders, Mario Davidovsky, Paul Lansky, Elliott Carter, Milton Babbitt, and countless others, presenting hundreds of new compositions for and with guitar over the past four decades. Many of these works have been recorded by Starobin for his ongoing series, New Music with Guitar<\/em>, now on its tenth volume. That disc contains chamber works by William Bland, Paul Chihara, Gregg Smith, Michael Starobin (the guitarist\u2019s brother and a renowned Broadway composer and orchestrator), as well as \u201cOh Mother,\u201d an aria excerpt from Ruders\u2019 The Thirteenth Child<\/em>.<\/p>\n We touched base with David Starobin in the midst of his August 2016 appearances at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, where he displayed his trademark versatility by presenting chamber and vocal music ranging from Thomas Campion and Boccherini to Mauro Giuliani and Ruders.<\/p>\n CLASSICAL GUITAR:<\/strong>\u00a0How do you manage the multi-faceted nature of your professional life?<\/p>\n DAVID STAROBIN<\/strong>: I\u2019ve tried to be a searching musician, and I\u2019m probably my own worst critic.\u00a0I\u2019ve been exceptionally fortunate to work with an army of excellent performers and composers who have made it possible for me to continue learning.\u00a0I hope that the urge to grow is the thread that binds all of the occupations you mention. My life partner, Becky Starobin, is my \u201cenabler.\u201d\u00a0We\u2019ve somehow melded business and art with our family life. When things are going well, the different occupations run together pretty seamlessly.<\/p>\n CG:<\/strong> What does your practice regimen look like at this stage in your career?<\/p>\n STAROBIN<\/strong>: I\u2019ll be 65 in September, and have a pile of new scores to learn\u2014many more than I\u2019ll be able to squeeze into this lifetime. Most of my guitar work focuses on learning, performing, and recording those works, be they new pieces or neglected music from the past.\u00a0This is basically what I\u2019ve always done and hope to keep doing. If I\u2019m not performing or recording, I try to do daily calisthenics, both off and on the guitar.\u00a0I focus on the joints of both hands and also employ exercises I\u2019ve developed to reduce left-hand thumb pressure.\u00a0Some of the exercises date back to work with my teacher, Aaron Shearer. All of this changes when I\u2019m preparing for concerts. Then the technical work becomes secondary.<\/p>\n CG:<\/strong> I often associate you with the Southwell \u201cA\u201d-style guitar and with your frequent performances on historic instruments.<\/p>\n STAROBIN<\/strong>: The guitars I play break down into two categories: Viennese-style and Spanish-style.\u00a0The Viennese instruments are generally the most practical for the music I play and the technique I employ.\u00a0I prefer them for 19th century music as well as for more modern music.\u00a0The Viennese guitars feature an ultra-slender neck, higher tessitura\u2014they have \u201cc\u201d frets and, often, \u201cd\u201d frets\u2014and most importantly, adjustable action.\u00a0For early 19th century music, I\u2019ve played on a Stauffer and Stauffer copies by British builder Gary Southwell. I\u2019ve also done a lot of playing on Viennese-style guitars made by Hermann Hauser in the 1920s and 1930s.\u00a0For modern music, I play Southwell\u2019s \u201cA\u201d models, which have a cutaway, saddle transducer, and adjustable action.<\/p>\n CG:<\/strong> Please tell us about why you prefer adjustable action.<\/p>\n STAROBIN<\/strong>: Being able to adjust the guitar\u2019s action enables you to serve the music in a deeper way.\u00a0If I\u2019m playing a left-hand-heavy piece, such as Giulio Regondi\u2019s Etude No. 2<\/em>\u2014a piece that moves through a handful of keys, including C-sharp major\u2014I damn well don\u2019t want the same [higher] action that I\u2019d want for a largely open-stringed piece, like Giuliani\u2019s Op. 15 Sonata.<\/p>\n For modern pieces, like the Ruders Second Concerto, this type of instrument is almost a necessity. With its cutaway and adjustable action, playing fast above the 12th fret becomes a pleasure instead of a struggle.\u00a0If I\u2019m playing standard repertoire where a normal action is preferable, the action adjustment is instantaneous.<\/p>\n CG:<\/strong> Which Spanish-style guitars have you played?<\/p>\n STAROBIN<\/strong>: I\u2019ve owned and performed on instruments by Manuel Velazquez, Jos\u00e9 Ramirez, Daniel Friedrich, Thomas Humphrey, Hauser I and Hauser II, Steven Walter, and Richard Brun\u00e9. I still play my Brun\u00e9 and Walter\u2014a Humphrey Millennium model\u2014frequently.<\/p>\n
\nThese days I don\u2019t have a true practice regimen, due to the somewhat sporadic nature of my work with the guitar. This past season I ended up conducting more concerts than I played on guitar, and I\u2019m teaching more than ever.<\/p>\n