Daniel led the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers in five concerts in Tokyo, Japan, including joint performances with the Tokyo College of Music Women’s Choir, and the Waseda University Men’s Glee Club.
Daniel was honored with the Bruce and Adaline Bare Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, along with Professors Meredith Whitnah and Steve Rogers.
Daniel has been appointed as Music Director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, a youth orchestra with a 57-year history in the Santa Barbara community and with notable alumni both in and out of music. “I am so pleased to welcome Daniel as the new music director for the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony,” said Nicholas Fuentes, vice president/Community Education & Enrichment for the Santa Barbara Symphony. “With his background and experience, we’ll be taking the youth ensembles to new levels by providing educational opportunities that build bridges between musicians of every age," Fuentes said. "The addition of Daniel to our team adds vital support to our vision of providing a continuum of music education to young musicians of all skill levels in the local community.”
The Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers performed at various churches and retirement homes throughout California and Oregon, completing their 2021-2022 performance season.
Dr. Grey Brothers premiered Daniel’s work for SATB Choir and Piano, Cuán Bueno, written for the Westmont Chamber Singers and Choral Union. The work was written for Brothers in honor of his retirement from teaching at Westmont for 27 years.
Daniel led the Westmont College Choir and Orchestra in a performance of the Credo from Bach’s Mass in B minor.
Metaxu, for piano and speaker, was premiered by Neil Di Maggio and Randy VanderMey at the Spring 2022 Faculty Westmont Faculty Recital, written in honor of Mark Sargent upon his retirement as Provost of Westmont College.
Along with Drs. Michael Shasberger and Grey Brothers, Daniel Gee led the Westmont choirs and orchestra in a historic first performance at the Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara’s premiere performing arts venue. This seventeenth annual Christmas Festival included a world premiere commissioned by the Westmont Orchestra, Divinum Mysterium, in honor of Michael Shasberger’s retirement as Adams Chair of Music and Worship at Westmont College.
Westmont Choirs began their 2021-2022 season welcoming several high school choirs from across California to Westmont’s annual Fall Choral Festival. Participating choirs received coaching from our choral faculty, culminating with a performance at the Music Academy of the West’s exquisite Hahn Hall. The Westmont College Choir finished the concert performing Guastavino’s Arroz Con Leche, Unterseher’s arrangement of Sweet Rivers, and Eric Whitacre’s Cloudburst.
Alicia Cordoba Tait, Oboe, and Robert Schultz, Marimba, premiered a commissioned work at the Lilly Fellows Program National Conference at Boston College. The work was among three commissioned compositions in honor of Mark Schwehn, founding director of the Lilly Fellows Program.
The Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers finished their outdoor recorded season performing in the Keller Plaza, housed in Westmont’s new Global Leadership Center. The College Choir performed works centered around two themes: works by Black American composers and poetry by the 16th century Metaphysical Poets. The Chamber Singers performed a concert cutting across several genres, including renaissance motets, Latin American art song, vocal jazz, and gospel.
Daniel led the Westmont College Choir and Orchestra in an outdoor performance of Gabriel Faure’s Requiem with Christine Hollinger and Michael Shasberger as soloists.
Recently appointed to a tenure track faculty position at Westmont College, Daniel led the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers, all masked and singing distanced outdoors, in the college’s 16th annual Christmas Festival, joining the Westmont Orchestra for a full concert length broadcasted program.
Recently promoted to the position of Associate Conductor, Daniel will lead Choral Arts Initiative in a live streamed program, featuring the music of Thomas LaVoy and Christina Whitten Thomas.
Daniel is delighted to be joining the Westmont College faculty as Assistant Professor of Music this fall. A tenure-track position, his new role includes both choral and orchestral conducting, leading the College Choir, Chamber Singers, and co-leading the Westmont Orchestra with Adams Chair Dr. Michael Shasberger.
The Long Beach Symphony, joined by the Long Beach All-District High School Honors Choir, performed for over 12,000 students from across the Long Beach School District in their four annual Toyota Youth Concerts. Daniel co-led the orchestra with Music Director Eckart Preu in works by Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Verdi and John Williams.
As part of their annual fall concert, Daniel led Choral Arts Initiative in the West Coast premiere of Andrew Maxfield’s The Door. Other music on the concert, led by Artistic Director Brandon Elliott, included works by Jordan Kuspa, Edie Hill, and Elaine Hagenburg.
Sponsored and hosted by Fieldstead and Company, Inc. Daniel led Choral Arts Initiative in a private concert of choral music by Scottish composer Euan Stevenson. The concert featured several American premieres, including a world premiere commissioned for the concert, Stevenson’s setting of Yeats’ The Clothes of Heaven.
Daniel returns to lead the Global Harmony Symphony of Orange County as Guest Conductor in a program of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Pianist Somang Jeagal will perform Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto with the orchestra.
Daniel attended the Chorus America Conducting Academy as one of twelve conducting fellows from across the United States and Canada performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah at the University of Michigan’s historic Hill Auditorium.
Daniel has been invited to serve as adjudicator for the Buddha’s Light Youth Symphony Orchestra’s first Music Festival.
The USC Chamber Singers will join the LA Chamber Orchestra for the historic debut of music director designate, Jaime Martin, performing Mozart’s Requiem at Alex Theatre and Royce Hall.
The USC Apollo Chorus will premiere Daniel’s new work for men’s chorus and piano, My Son, My Son, on text by Paul Willis.
Led by Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, Daniel and the USC Chamber Singers will be performing the seldom heard Messe de Requiem by 20th Century French composer Alfred Desenclos, joined by organist Weicheng Zhao, director of music at All Saints Episcopal Church. The concert will take place on Sunday Feb. 24 at 5pm at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $15. RSVP required (213) 821-5756 or email uschoral@usc.edu.
Choral Arts Initiative has selected Daniel to be their Inaugural Assistant Conductor. Daniel will begin in his role immediately as the ensemble prepares for their concert on March 23 at Anaheim First Presbyterian, featuring the premiere of Christian Guebert’s Voyaging, for mixed chorus, 3-7 octaves handbells, and harp.
Daniel will join LBSO Music Director Eckart Preu to co-lead the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra Family Concert, titled Up! Up! And Away! Visit longbeachsymphony.org for tickets and details.
Daniel will begin serving as Assistant Conductor for the Long Beach Symphony for the 2018-2019 season under music director Eckart Preu.
Daniel will be traveling down to São Paulo, Brazil for a week of teaching vocal technique and coaching choirs as part of a series of workshops and masterclasses hosted by the Assemblies of God Denomination.
Daniel leads the Global Harmony Symphony of Orange County as guest conductor in a program of Rossini, Mendelssohn, and Sibelius. The concert will feature Mann-Wen Lo, fellow DMA candidate at USC, performing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.
Daniel will be performing with the USC Chamber Singers, led by Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, on a tour through Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia in May 2018.
