Vorhees is Dana Wachs, a Brooklyn based composer and audio engineer. Dana studied cello and electric bass from an early age. At nineteen, she joined the DC hardcore group Holy Rollers (Dischord Records) and dove deep into a world of touring and live sound. Audio engineering would define the following twenty years of her life while working at Greene Street Recording NYC, and then touring the world mixing artists such as Jon Hopkins, Tim Hecker, and Deerhunter, among many others.
In 2009, she debuted her solo compositions, releasing 2017’s “Black Horse Pike” and 2019’s “Tracks for Movement” on Brooklyn based Styles Upon Styles. The past decade has seen her busy composing for commissioned performances and recordings for fashion designer Rachel Comey, as well as dance performances by Guggenheim Prize winning choreographer Morgan Thurson, and Bessie Award winning choreographer Heather Kravas. She composed and performed in parts II and III of a performance art piece titled Rural Violence, directed by Brandon Stousy (The Creative Independent), both presented by artist Matthew Barney. In conjunction, she collaborated with George Clarke of Deafheaven, forming the new duo Wachs & Clarke, for the 20 minute accompanying music piece “RVIII: Invocation”. She's also performed guitar and piano as part of the Kitchen's celebration of Julius Eastman and performed a solo live score to the silent film ""Salomé"" at Joe's Pub at the Public Theater NYC.
Her first short film score “Sugar” (dir. Kim Howl Lee) debuted at Cannes in 2017, and her first two feature film scores premiered in 2022, including the BAFTA nominated “Blue Bag Life”, her first documentary, winner of the Audience Award at BFI London Film Fest 2022, The Golden Coconut for Best Documentary Feature at the Hainan International Film Festival, and the Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival.
Currently, Dana is focusing on a new feature film score and recording a new solo full length.
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