Omar Daniel (born 1960) is a Canadian
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
and
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
, and an associate professor of composition at the
Western University.
Early life and education
Daniel was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, of Estonian descent. He earned a
Doctor of Music from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
where he was a
music composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called c ...
pupil of
John Beckwith.
Career
In 1997 he won the
Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music The Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music is a Canadian contemporary classical music award given to composers in recognition of quality new works of chamber music. Granted annually since 1978 (with the exception of 1984 and 1990 when no prize was ...
for his ''Zwei Lieder nach Rilke'', a work for
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
and chamber ensemble. At about that time he created a number of compositions for guitar which were performed at the Winnipeg New Music Festival and recorded by classical guitarist Rachel Gauk.
In 2003, he taught musical theory and practice at
The Glenn Gould School
The Glenn Gould School is a centre for the training of professional musicians in performance at post-secondary and post-bachelor levels in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1987 and renamed in 1997 after the celebrated pianist, G ...
in Toronto.
[Ezra Schabas. ]
There's Music In These Walls: A History of the Royal Conservatory of Music
'. Dundurn; 1 September 2005. . p. 242. In 2007 he received the K.M. Hunter Artists Award for classical music. He served on the faculty of Wilfrid Laurier University, and later became an associate professor of composition at the
Western University.
Daniel was commissioned to create a non-verbal choral work for the Latvian Radio Choir, who performed it in Toronto in 2018. That year Daniel performed at Chamberfest in Ottawa.
In October 2020, Daniel released a CD ''Omar Daniel: Chamber Works'', a collection of chamber pieces performed by the Land's End Ensemble as part of a long collaboration between the Canadian composer and this Juno-nominated, Calgary-based chamber group.
Selected compositions
*"The Flaying of Marsyas"
[Paul Sanden. ]
Liveness in Modern Music: Musicians, Technology, and the Perception of Performance
'. Routledge; 17 January 2013. . p. 136.
* "Dreams of the Panther"
*"STELCO"
"New Music review: Evelyn Glennie and Land's End Ensemble provide spectacular evening of six premieres at the Bella"
''Calgary Herald'', Stephan Bonfield, May 31, 2017
Further reading
*
References
External links
*
*
"Omar Mark Daniel"
''SoundCloud''. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, Omar
Living people
1960 births
Canadian male composers
Musicians from Toronto
Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music winners
Canadian classical composers
University of Toronto alumni
Academic staff of the University of Toronto
Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario