Biography

As a solo artist, Ganc has released 6 CDs – Baladas Brasileiras (1996), Caldo de Cana (2000), David Ganc & Guerra Peixe String Quartet interpret Tom Jobim (2004), nominated for the 2005 TIM Award, Pixinguinha + Benedito (2005) with Mário Sève, Noturno – David Ganc interprets Nivaldo Ornelas’chamber music (2016), Encontro (2019) with Duo Ganc Adour and the single Milharal (2021).

He is co-author of the sheet music books “Choro Duetos – Pixinguinha & Benedito Lacerda Vol. 1 e Vol. 2”, Ed. Irmãos Vitale, 2010 / 2011, with transcriptions of the melodies and counterpoints of these masters.

He began his career in the 1970s with the band “A Barca do Sol”, with which he released two LPs: Durante o Verão and Pirata.

He has appeared on several compilations that features the greatest exponents of the flute in Brazil, such as “Sopro Contemporâneo Brasileiro”, “Os Bambas da Flauta”, “Sons do Brasil”, and on the CD “Pixinguinha Sinfônico”.

Fluent in popular music, improvisation and classical music, he holds a PhD in music from UNIRIO (2017), a bachelor’s degree in flute from UFRJ (1986) and in Professional Music from Berklee College of Music – Suma Cum Laude (1984). Currently (2024) he is doing a post-doctorate at UNIRIO with his research project: “Reflections on Brazilian musical genres and structuring a collection of Brazilian music arrangements for transverse flute groups” – sponsored by FAPERJ. This project includes the production of 12 new arrangements of Brazilian music for flute choir and its reduction for flute quartets, available for download to students and teachers, in the arrangements section on this website.

As an arranger, he has more than 100 arrangements recorded on disk, with commissions for the WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany (2018) and the NFA (National Flute Association) Phoenix, Arizona, 08/2023. Ganc has in his collection more than 50 songs arranged for flute ensembles, 22 arrangements for flute and strings and 2 for big band, and 10 arrangements for symphony orchestra, always focusing on Brazilian popular music. 

In 2020, he wrote an arrangement of his song Caldo de Cana for the ABRAF Orchestra (Brazilian Association of Flutists, of which he is a board member), performed by 220 flutists from all over Brazil in an online format. In 2021 he repeated the experience with Daniel Ganc’s song Milharal.

He conceived the Flutuar Orquestra de Flautas presents Clube de Esquina 50 anos Project, which took place in Belo Horizonte on November 2022, for which he wrote the 15 arrangements for this formation, reproducing the songs from this classic album.

As a studio musician, he has recorded more than 200 albums of instrumental music and with Brazilian artists such as: Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Paulo Moura, Luís Melodia, Nivaldo Ornelas, Moraes Moreira, Tim Maia, Alcione, Beto Guedes, João Bosco, Elba Ramalho, Cassia Eller, Bibi Ferreira, Zé Ramalho, Olivia Byington and has produced/co-produced 20 CDs. He took part in three editions of the Free Jazz Festival RJ and SP, in 1995 (Stevie Wonder), 1999 (Vittor Santos Orquestra) and 2001 (The Temptations).

Participations:

THEATRE

 He has performed on stage and in soundtracks for 40 plays, including:

 “Pixinguinha”, by Amir Haddad, “Noel Rosa”, by Tim Rescala, and “O Corsário do Rei”, by Augusto Boal and Chico Buarque, among others.

TV

Participation in soundtracks recordings for more than 50 soap operas and TV specials, mostly for Rede Globo de Televisão.

Movie Soundtracks

He has recorded more than 20 soundtracks for feature films, including David Tygel’s “O Homem da Capa Preta” and Nivaldo Ornelas’ “Dança dos bonecos”.

He has played on stages in many countries including the USA, France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Mexico, Uruguay, Angola, Israel and Switzerland. He performed at the 2001 Mellon Jazz Festival in Pittsburgh in the concert Tones of Nature, a tribute to Tom Jobim.

He regularly records for TV, film and theater soundtracks.

On stage, in recording studios, creating arrangements and doing academic research, David Ganc is a multifaceted artist who is always open to new musical experiences.