Daniel Bassin

"Daniel Bassin is an active conductor, composer, trumpeter and improviser, currently Music Director of the University at Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, a position he began in autumn 2010, and the newly-appointed Music Director/Choir Conductor at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo. Daniel came to Buffalo after working for five seasons with the American Symphony Orchestra, in New York City. A New York native, Daniel received his initial training at the Juilliard Pre-College, before being invited by Maestro Benjamin Zander to assist in performances with London's Philharmonia Orchestra, after which he was subsequently awarded a fellowship with Zander's Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. In Boston, he was accepted to the New England Conservatory as a composer, where he also studied trumpet with Boston Symphony Orchestra principal trumpeter, Charles Schuleter, and conducting with Richard Hoenich. His education continued with a Masters of Fine Arts in Orchestral Conducting at Bard College, studying with Maestro Harold Farberman, and he received the PhD in composition from UB in the Spring of 2014.

A passionate advocate of contemporary music, Daniel has led first performances of over 80 new works, and has performed as a conductor and trumpeter in 37 countries. In 2008 he acted as assistant conductor for the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra's 16-city tour of the American West Coast and Midwest. In 2012, Daniel was featured as guest conductor for the Williamsville School District String Orchestra Festival, he had his debut as conductor of the Slee Sinfonietta in April of that year, and he also conducted the UB Percussion Ensemble at the 2012 June in Buffalo Festival. In May 2013, Daniel participated in Ensemble Linea's conducting master classes at the Royaumont Abbey, under the tutelage of Peter Eötvös and Jean-Philippe Wurtz, where he was selected to lead a performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Kontra-Punkta.

Bassin's work at UB has been featured several times Buffalo's ArtVoice Classical Music Notes column, by Jan Jezioro, who has recently proclaimed: "It's now official: Daniel Bassin is the most innovative music director that the UB Symphony Orchestra has ever had as its leader." During the 2013-2014 Season, Daniel will lead the UBSO in Buffalo-premiere performances of works by Sibelius, Horatio Parker, Balakirev, Liszt, Elgar and Smetana alongside familiar masterworks by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vaughan Williams. Additionally, Bassin and the UUCB Choir will present for the first time in Buffalo Kyle Gann's Transcendental Sonnets(2001-2) and Fanny (Mendelssohn) Hensel's cantata Hiob "Job" (1831), in addition to performances of works by Pinkham, Vaughan Williams, and Bernstein. In November 2013, Daniel will have the honor of conducting the music of his teacher, David Felder, as part of an A Musical Feast concert honoring Felder's 60th birthday, in celebration of Felder's works and lasting contributions to the cultural life of Buffalo." [1]

[1] "Daniel Bassin," University at Buffalo department of Music. Website acessed September 13, 2016. http://www.music.buffalo.edu/faculty/daniel-bassin