Composer

Tunes to Bring Out the Good in Humanity

The music of David Rimelis has touched lives around the world. As a performer, composer, and educator, he has influenced both the young and the not-so-young. His clear compositional voice embraces melody, rhythm, and pure joy! David has traveled four continents performing in numerous bands and as a solo artist. His music has traveled farther than that. He has also appeared on television in various situations. Most recently, he began hosting a Saturday morning children’s show “Uncle Dave’s Music party” on YouTube and Facebook Live. David truly believes in bringing out the most positive aspects of humanity, and his music certainly reflects that perspective.

Orchestras around the world have performed his music, including the Boston Pops, National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Western Australia Symphony, Minnesota Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, New York Pops, New Jersey Pops Jazz, and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

David has performed as a featured artist with the Colorado Symphony, Eugene Oregon Symphony, Waco Texas Symphony, Concordia Orchestra, Plainfield, New Jersey Symphony, the Cascade Festival of Music Orchestra, the New Sussex Symphony, the New Jersey Pops, the Oregon Festival of American Music Orchestra, and the Cabrillo Music Festival Orchestra.

Currently, he serves as artist-in-residence for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Professor of Jazz at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

His music is featured in the 2021 film "The Conductor" about conductor Marin Alsop and the PBS film "Speaking in Strings"  about violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg . His music can also be heard in the New Jersey Network documentaries Summer Camp and It's Red It's Edible It Bounces, the Mo Willems cartoon The Man Who Yelled, and the feature film She-Devil. His national TV appearances as a featured musician include Emeril Live (improvising original music as Dr. Strings). He also appeared on CBS's The Guiding Light (fiddler and country band leader), and NBC's Four Stories (volunteer music teacher to HIV-infected children), The View, Fox 5, and the Tony Danza Show.

As a guitarist ,violinist and educator, David has toured the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, China and the Middle East.

His unique Charanga-violin style has been part of many prominent Latin ensembles, including Jose Fajardo, Johnny Pacheco, Roberto Torres, Orchestra Broadway, and Africando.

He is the founder and leader of the band Life, which performs original world jazz. David is the son of country-western singer "Idaho Ed." As you can expect, he grew up with American folk and popular music. He has won prizes in many regional fiddle contests.