Daniel Gee
CHORAL AND ORCHESTRAL
I am incredibly grateful that my work has always been in both choral and orchestral worlds, from having concurrent Assistant Conductor posts at both the Long Beach Symphony and Choral Arts Initiative, to current serving as Music Director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony while Director of Choral Activities at Westmont College. When asked which I prefer, I can never choose – one informs and enriches the other. I love the orchestral repertoire and I love the accessibility of choirs. I love the array of colors of a symphony and I love the powerful communication of text. I could not imagine my musical life without either.
COMPOSING FOR COMMUNITIES
After one of my works is premiered, one of my traditions is to have the members of the ensemble sign my score. The notes that they write are inspiring, reminding me that I write not just for commissions or ensembles, but for people and communities. I believe writing music is a unique and powerful way to invest in a community, and I am particularly grateful any timed I get to write for a Santa Barbara ensemble, where I currently call home.
COMMITTED TO EDUCATION
My musical journey began in a public school cafeteria, with Richard Meyer, famed string pedagogue and conductor, teaching me and a dozen other fourth graders how to unpack our cellos. Since then, every step of the way has been marked by the influence of incredible musical mentors, serving as guides, inspiration, and companionship in a journey that is filled with challenges, growth, disappointments, and joys. It has been a delight to discover how music can facilitate the sharing of life, stories, and unforgettable experiences together, and I hope to give back to my students in the same way my mentors gave to me.
Bio
Daniel Gee currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Westmont College and Music Director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony. Under his leadership the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers perform both locally and abroad, including at the annual Westmont Christmas Festival at the Granada Theater and for the Westmont President’s Breakfast. Previous choral conducting has included serving as Associate Conductor of Choral Arts Initiative, a professional contemporary music choir, and Choir Director at Evergreen Baptist Church of the San Gabriel Valley.
Before beginning work with the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, Gee served as Assistant Conductor of the Long Beach Symphony with Music Director Eckart Preu. He has extensive experience in string pedagogy including coaching cello sectionals for several youth orchestras, teaching private cello lessons, and speaking at an SCSBOA String Day.
As a composer, Gee has fulfilled several commissions for ensembles in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles music communities, including the Santa Barbara Quire of Voyces, the Westmont Orchestra and College Choir, and the Westridge School Chamber Orchestra. His choral music has been published by Colla Voce Music on the Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series.
Gee received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. He is grateful to include Jo-Michael Scheibe, Cristian Grases, Tram Sparks, Eckart Preu, and Michael Shasberger as his conducting mentors, and significant composition teachers have included Sean Friar, Morten Lauridsen, Steve Butler, and Richard Meyer.
The 2013 valedictorian of Westmont College, Gee received the Monroe full-tuition scholarship and graduated with a double major in music composition and philosophy. While studying at the University of Southern California, he was accepted as a Lilly Graduate Fellow and served as Associate Conductor of both the Apollo Men’s Chorus and the Oriana Women’s Choir, for which he commissioned and premiered a new choral work for treble voices and piano by composer Emma Lou Diemer. His work abroad has included teaching conducting masterclasses at the 2018 Simpósio de Música hosted by the Assemblies of God Denomination in São Paulo, Brazil, and performing with the USC Chamber Singers in the Baltics and Poland.
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