Omar Daniel

Omar Daniel (born 1960) is a Canadian composer and pianist, and an associate professor of composition at the Western University.

For the Indonesian actor, see Omar Daniel (actor).

Early life and education

Daniel was born in Toronto, Ontario, of Estonian descent. He earned a Doctor of Music from the University of Toronto where he was a music composition pupil of John Beckwith.

Career

In 1997 he won the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music for his Zwei Lieder nach Rilke, a work for soprano 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.[1][2]

In 2003, he taught musical theory and practice at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto.[3] 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.[4]

Daniel was commissioned to create a non-verbal choral work for the Latvian Radio Choir, who performed it in Toronto in 2018.[5] That year Daniel performed at Chamberfest in Ottawa.[6]

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.[7]

Selected compositions
  • "The Flaying of Marsyas"[8][9]
  • "Dreams of the Panther"[10]
  • "STELCO"[11]

Further reading
  • Steenhuisen, Paul (2009). "Interview with Omar Daniel". Sonic Mosaics: Conversations with Composers. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press. ISBN 9780888644749. OCLC 268787266.

References
  1. "Guitar tunes generate some satisfying journeys". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives (subscription required) January 24, 1998 - Page 23
  2. "Guitar and voice beautiful blend of precision". Winnipeg Free Press, January 27, 1998. By Gwenda Ramsay
  3. Ezra Schabas. There's Music In These Walls: A History of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Dundurn; 1 September 2005. ISBN 978-1-4597-1250-8. p. 242.
  4. Words & Music. Vol. 12. Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada; 2005. p. 28.
  5. "A Latvian adventure in non-verbal singing". Toronto Star, by John Terauds, Nov. 18, 2018
  6. "Ottawa Chamberfest’s variety was its strength". By William Littler, Toronto Star, Aug. 18, 2018
  7. "Composition professor Omar Daniel releases a new CD". music.uwo.ca. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. Paul Sanden. Liveness in Modern Music: Musicians, Technology, and the Perception of Performance. Routledge; 17 January 2013. ISBN 978-1-136-15528-4. p. 136.
  9. "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
  10. Musicworks. Vol. Issues 73-78. Music Gallery.; 1999. p. 48.
  11. "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
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