Photography by Ann Kontak

David Kontak is an instrument builder, musician and therapist currently living in Concord, NH. When not involved with musical projects and building new instruments for performing, he works as an Assistive Technology and Wheelchair Specialist.  

ARTIST’s NOTE:

Though my work is very unusual and experimental, I strive to make it engaging for the audience. There is a strong visual component to each performance, since playing instruments requires movement. The viewer can observe a direct relationship between the movements and the sound produced, which makes the performance accessible and entertaining to people of all ages and musical interests. 

My exploration of unusual instruments began more than thirty years ago during my study toward a Master’s of Fine Arts Degree. I have worked on building unique instruments nearly every day since then.

Besides hundreds of concerts, I have presented and given talks at educational conferences, and many universities, schools, and libraries. I take my fun very seriously and enjoy sharing my work with others, especially in an academic or learning environment.

In some situations, (such as schools and educational conferences) I include other aspects of music in the presentation, including the science of sound and amplification, instrument building and design, building and performing on instruments in Special Education settings, and the creative process.

I have also worked collaboratively with other performers to assist with sound effects and add musical character to new works and compositions. For more, see Projects or Past Performances.

ACHIEVEMENTS