Daniel Lessner is an American composer and virtuoso pianist currently based in Los Angeles.

Biography

Daniel Lessner began his piano studies at the age of four in Miami, Florida. He played his first recital at eleven, and by the age of eighteen he had won over a hundred local and national performance competitions. He entered the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

of Music in New York city on scholarship to study with the renowned teacher

Adele Marcus Adele Marcus (February 22, 1906 May 3, 1995) was an American pianist and instructor whose career was based at the Juilliard School in New York City. Life and career Marcus was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the youngest of 13 children of a rabbi ...

, and while there won the Tchaikovsky Concerto Competition which he performed at Lincoln Center under the baton of

Massimo Freccia Massimo Filippo Antongiulio Maria Freccia (19 September 1906 – 16 November 2004) was an Italian American Conducting, conductor. He had an international reputation but never held a post as music director of a major orchestra or opera house. Unus ...

. After receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Juilliard, Mr. Lessner was chosen as a candidate for the school's doctoral program, and he remained there on faculty for two seasons after finishing his PHD. Daniel has performed in both solo and orchestral concerts around the world in four continents, including performances in New York's

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

, and The

Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...

in Los Angeles where he played Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme by Paganini. He has performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, the Franz Liszt piano arrangement of Richard Wagner's Tannhauser Overture, Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Bach's Goldberg Variations, and the French Suite No. 6. He can currently be heard in the Clio Award winning United Airlines advertising campaign, featuring his performances of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. In addition to performing, Daniel composes music for film and television in Hollywood. His composition clients have included themes for Carsey Warner Television, ABC sports, HBO's Inside The NFL, ESPN, and the USA Network. In 2006, Mr. Lessner formed the music production and recording studi
SKANDA MUSIC
with fellow composer William Richter of the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. Their work together has included film scores, broadcast game show themes for the NBA

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

and MLB's

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, commercials, music for The Museum of Terror, and the History Channel series That's Impossible. Daniel Lessner has worked as a producer and as an artist and Repertoire Representative for EMI Records. He has been a professor of piano at USC's Thornton School of Music.

Filmography (as Composer)

;2009 * That's Impossible (TV Series) * A Secret At Arrow Lake ;2008 *That Which Is Within *Columbus Day (additional music) ;2006 *A.W.O.L. * Close to Home Season 2 (TV additional music)

References

NBA Phoenix Suns Article

External links

Official website Daniel Lessner
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lessner, Daniel American male composers 21st-century American composers Living people Juilliard School alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty Musicians from Los Angeles American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)