David Wilder Daniels (December 20, 1933 – April 24, 2020) was an American conductor and author.

Education

His education includes a preparatory department diploma from the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

, an AB degree from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, an MA (musicology) from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, and an MFA (organ) and a PhD (orchestral literature and conducting) from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. He spent two summers studying at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the T ...

, and another two with Richard Lert at the Institute for Orchestral Studies.

Conducting career

Daniels was Music Director of the Warren Symphony Orchestra (Michigan) from its inception in 1974 until his retirement in 2010. He was Professor Emeritus at

Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...

, where he taught for 28 years, six of them as chair of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. He retired from Oakland University in 1997, and to honor him the orchestra named the annual young artists concert the "David Daniels Young Artists Concert." Daniels also conducted opera in Boston for a dozen years, where his performances were five times named “Best Opera of the Year” by the ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''. Other guest conducting includes the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

, the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra,

Michigan Opera Theatre Detroit Opera is the principal opera company in Michigan, USA. The company is based in Detroit, where it performs in the Detroit Opera House. Prior to February 28, 2022, the company was named the Michigan Opera Theatre. Each year it presents an ope ...

, Ann Arbor Ballet Theatre, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, Meadow Brook Festival Orchestra, and the Orquesta Sinfonia de Maracaibo, Venezuela. He has taught at various colleges and universities, including the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...

and Knox College, and was music librarian of the

Berkshire Athenaeum The Berkshire Athenaeum is a public library (1872) based on a previously private athenaeum, and now at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, Massachusetts in the Berkshires, United States. Like many New England libraries, the Berkshire Athenaeum started a ...

in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Achievements

David Daniels is the author of ''Daniels' Orchestral Music'' (1st-5th ed. 1972-2015,

Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...

), a reference book for orchestra professionals. A second book, with coauthor John Yaffé, is Arias, Ensembles, & Choruses: An Excerpt-Finder for Orchestras (2012). Daniels also was a series editor for Rowman & Littlefield (2009-2015). In 2016, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA).

References

External links

* https://daniels-orchestral.com/about/david-daniels/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, David 1933 births 2020 deaths American male conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American male musicians