Daniel Warren Hoffman is an American-Israeli klezmer violinist, composer, and documentary film producer. He first heard

klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

music played on the piano by his father. Hoffman is the founder of the klezmer-jazz fusion ensemble, the Klez-X and co-founder of Davka and Trio Carpion. He also performs with Di Tsaytmashin, Harel Shachal and the Ottomans, and with

Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velma ...

in Songs for Eternity. He is the producer of the documentary film, Otherwise It’s Just Firewood, the pilot film for a television series that will explore the role of the Italianate

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

in disparate cultures worldwide. Otherwise It's Just Firewood was aired widely on American PBS stations in 2018. His Western classical teachers include

Daniel Kobialka Daniel Kobialka (November 19, 1943 – January 18, 2021) was an American violinist, composer, and music entrepreneur. Biography Kobialka studied violin at the Hartt College of Music. Kobialka was the principal second violinist with the San Fran ...

Raphael Bronstein Raphael Bronstein (June 25, 1896 – November 4, 1988) was a violinist and violin professor. Early life He was born in a Jewish family in Vilnius, Lithuania and studied violin with Leopold Auer at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He arrived in th ...

and Ariana Bronne, and is a graduate of The

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

. He has also studied and performed

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, Turkish,

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, and

Balkan music Balkan music is a type of music found in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. The music is characterised by complex rhythm. Famous bands in Balkan music include Taraf de Haïdouks, Fanfare Ciocărlia, and No Smoking Orchestra. Historical ...

. He grew up in

La Habra, California La Habra (archaic spelling of ''La Abra'', ) is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. A related city, La Habra Heights, is located to the north of ...

and relocated to Israel in 2005. As a composer, he has received composition grants from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Meet the Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

, and numerous American theaters, including

Theater J Theater J is a professional theater company located in Washington, DC, founded to present works that "celebrate the distinctive urban voice and social vision that are part of the Jewish cultural legacy". Organization Hailed by ''The New York T ...

, the

San Diego Repertory Theatre The San Diego Repertory Theatre is a performing arts company in San Diego, California. History The company grew out of Indian Magique, a street theater group of actors, writers, directors, and producers, some of whom were theater graduates from ...

, and Traveling Jewish Theater.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Daniel (violinist) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American composers 21st-century American violinists American film producers Klezmer musicians Manhattan School of Music alumni Israeli violinists Israeli film producers

See also

References