Editing David Arkenstone

{{short description|American composer and performer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = David Arkenstone
| image           = David-Arkenstone-Portrait.jpg
| caption         = David Arkenstone
| birth_name      =
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1952|7|1}}
| birth_place     = [[Chicago]], Illinois, U.S.
| genre           = [[New-age music|New-age]], [[electronic music|electronic]], [[ambient music|ambient]], [[Celtic music|celtic]], [[game music]]
| occupation      = Musician, composer
| instrument      = Keyboards, guitar
| years_active    = 1987–present
| label           = QDV, [[Windham Hill Records|Windham Hill]], [[Narada Productions|Narada]]
| website         = {{URL|www.davidarkenstone.com}}
}}

'''David Arkenstone''' (born July 1, 1952) is an American composer and performer. His music is primarily instrumental, with occasional vocalizations. Most of Arkenstone's music falls into [[New-age music|new age]] category; however, he also worked in other genres, including even a [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] soundtrack for ''[[Emperor: Battle for Dune]]'' video game. His music has been described as 'soundtracks for the imagination'. Throughout his career, Arkenstone released over 50 albums and composed music for video games, including ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', and for television, including NBC's [[Kentucky Derby]]. Arkenstone has been nominated for Grammy Awards five times.

== Biography ==

After moving from Chicago to California at the age of ten,<ref name="ambientvisions">{{cite web | url = http://www.ambientvisions.com/davidarkenstone.htm | title = Ambient Visions Presents an Interview with David Arkenstone | access-date = 2008-08-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516181035/http://www.ambientvisions.com/davidarkenstone.htm | archive-date = 2008-05-16 | url-status = dead }}</ref> he was involved in various high school bands playing guitars and keyboards, playing baseball in his spare time. He studied music in college and started a [[progressive rock]] band named after himself, but he soon discovered his own musical voice in the instrumental genre. Arkenstone was influenced by writers such as [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and [[Ian Fleming]], and grew up listening to bands like [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]], [[Deep Purple]], and [[Yes (band)|Yes]], as well as listening to [[classical music]].

Arkenstone went solo and found his own sound in [[New Age music]]. He says that has been greatly aided by technology: "Technology has produced some wonderful tools for making music. The computer allows me to fully orchestrate my pieces and really fine tune them".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.davidarkenstone.com/about.html | title = About David Arkenstone | access-date = 2008-08-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080915014018/http://www.davidarkenstone.com/about.html | archive-date = 2008-09-15 | url-status = dead }}</ref> His music is primarily instrumental. His albums, typically fantasy themed, often come packaged with literature and art. He worked with fantasy novel writer [[Mercedes Lackey]] on a few of her albums.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mercedeslackey.com/am_music.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120524084713/http://www.mercedeslackey.com/am_music.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 24, 2012 | title = Mercedes Lackey – The Official Website | access-date = 2008-08-17 }}</ref> Arkenstone and his ex-wife [[Diane Arkenstone|Diane]] created their own record label called Neo Pacifica. In addition to releasing their own music on the label, they have included other bands such as Earth Trybe, Enaid, and the Marquis Ensemble.

He has also composed music for television; channels such as the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]], the [[Discovery Channel]] and [[NBC Sports]] include his music. He has also written music for trailers and film soundtracks, including the independent film ''PRISM'',<ref>{{cite web | url = http://prismmovie.com/2006/07/setting-tone.html | title = PRISM BLOG: Setting the tone | date = 2006-07-19 | access-date = 2008-05-10 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090202132347/http://prismmovie.com/2006/07/setting-tone.html | archive-date = 2009-02-02 }}</ref> as well as computer game soundtracks such as ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', ''[[Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny|Lands of Lore 2]]'' and ''[[Lands of Lore III|3]]'', ''[[Earth and Beyond]]'', ''[[Emperor: Battle for Dune]]'', and ''[[Space Siege]]''. He also features on ''[[20 Years of Narada Piano]]''.

Arkenstone has earned five [[Grammy]] nominations for his work: ''In the Wake of the Wind'' in 1992,<ref>{{cite news | url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61555684.html?dids=61555684:61555684&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+10%2C+1992&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Other+Grammy+Nominees&pqatl=google | title = Other Grammy Nominees | newspaper = LA Times | date = 1992-01-10 | access-date = 2008-08-17 | archive-date = 2009-01-16 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090116131912/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61555684.html?dids=61555684:61555684&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+10%2C+1992&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Other+Grammy+Nominees&pqatl=google | url-status = dead }}</ref> ''[[Citizen of the World (album)|Citizen of the World]]'' in 2000,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/01/05/DD36893.DTL&type=music | title = The Nominees for the Grammy Awards | date = 2000-01-05 | publisher = SFGate | access-date = 2008-08-17}}</ref> ''Atlantis'' in 2004,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=282216 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20070513171703/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=282216 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2007-05-13 | title = Grammys edge toward hipness | publisher = Journal Sentinel | date = 2004-12-07 |access-date = 2008-08-17}} </ref>''Fairy Dreams'' in 2020, and ''Pangaea'' in 2022.<ref> {{Cite news |last=Cohn |first=Gabe |date=2021-11-23 |title=Grammy Awards 2022: The Full List of Nominees |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/arts/music/grammys-nominee-list.html |access-date=2023-05-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Arkenstone has learned to play a variety of musical instruments, including [[bouzouki]], [[mandolin]], guitar, bass guitar, [[harp]], cello, flute, electronic keyboards, piano, Turkish [[baglama|saz]], [[pennywhistle]], [[melodica]], and [[pan pipes]]. He also plays drums and percussion and has performed some vocalizations on his albums.

Arkenstone is also involved in the band Troika; their sound is similar to his solo work.  The band members like to remain anonymous, although the compositions are credited to Arkenstone.

His theme "The Journey Begins/Kyla's Ride" was used for the FIFA World Cup France '98 broadcastings intro by the Mexican television network [[Azteca (multimedia company)|Azteca]].

His song "Papillon (On the Wings of the Butterfly)" was formerly used as background music in Future World at [[Epcot]] in [[Walt Disney World]]. His song "The Palace" was once used as background music in [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Tomorrowland]] at the [[Magic Kingdom]] as well. "The Palace" also used to play in [[Tokyo Disneyland]]'s Tomorrowland, and another one of his songs, "Valley in the Clouds" was also used.

He signed with [[Domo Records]] and re-released the album ''Echoes of Light and Shadow'' in 2010.

Arkenstone was a member of the composing team who developed the music for [[Blizzard Activision|Blizzard Activision's]] ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' videogame's'' [[World of warcraft cataclysm|Cataclysm]]'' expansion. Along with Arkenstone, the team consists of [[Derek Duke]], [[Glenn Stafford]], and [[Neal Acree]].<ref>{{Cite video| people = Russell Brower (panel moderator)| title = Blizzard Sound panel discussion, Blizzcon| medium = Television broadcast| publisher = Blizzard Entertainment/DirecTV| location = Anaheim, California| date = 23 October 2010}}</ref>

== Discography ==
{{main|David Arkenstone discography}}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Official website|http://www.davidarkenstone.com}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110604234325/http://www.domomusicgroup.com/davidarkenstone/index.php Official Page on Domo Records]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110503174852/http://www.domomusicgroup.com/ Domo Records]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090202042911/http://narada.com/ Narada]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190112072415/http://www.thewinterfantasy.com/ David Arkenstone's ''Winter Fantasy'']
*[https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,7733/ David Arkenstone] at [[MobyGames]]

{{Westwood Studios}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkenstone, David}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:American new-age musicians]]
[[Category:Citternists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Narada Productions artists]]
[[Category:Windham Hill Records artists]]
[[Category:Domo Records artists]]
[[Category:American video game composers]]
[[Category:Westwood Studios]]