David Kirkland Garner is a composer, teacher, performer, producer, and researcher whose work is rooted in listening, transcription, and collaboration. His music spans acoustic and electronic mediums, encompassing solo, chamber, orchestral, wind ensemble, vocal, and film compositions. 

Recent projects include Mr Baptiste, a collaboration with poet Ishion Hutchinson and Imani Winds inspired by early Afro-diasporic music in 17th-century Jamaica; Chronodrift & Nocturne, a 55-minute work for piano and electronics exploring microrhythm and expressive timing; and Eight Songs for Steffen Thomas, a cello and piano soundtrack for the documentary Steffen Thomas: Rock & Chisel, which premiered on Georgia PBS in 2023. His music has been performed by Imani Winds, earspace, Kronos Quartet, South Carolina Philharmonic, Ciompi Quartet, Vega Quartet, Invoke, yMusic, contemporaneous, Atlanta Chamber Players, and many others.

Garner’s first album, Dark Holler (New Focus Recordings, 2017), drew on archival American roots music, prompting I Care If You Listen to describe his approach as one that “resonates with a visceral, almost hypnotic energy.” In 2023, he established Sourwood Records, a digital label dedicated to new music, debuting with Eight Songs for Steffen Thomas, followed by Short Stories, Vol. 1 with Greg Stuart, and anticipating multiple releases in 2025.

A dedicated teacher, Garner has been on faculty at the University of South Carolina since 2016, where he teaches composition and theory. His courses cover traditional topics like counterpoint and contemporary techniques, as well as specialized studies in transcription, performance analysis, minimalism, and traditional musics. His research and scholarship have focused on microtiming, Philip Glass, Cape Breton fiddling, the history of the banjo, and digital humanities, including his work with Laurent Dubois and Mary Caton Lingold on musicalpassage.org, a digital project exploring early Afro-diasporic music.

Garner has received multiple grants for creative projects from the University of South Carolina, a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, an ASCAP Young Composer Award, and first prizes in the OSSIA, Red Note, and NACUSA competitions. He holds degrees from Duke University, the University of Michigan, and Rice University.