BIOGRAPHY
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Maestri Gianluigi Gelmetti, Jorma Panula, Peter Gülke, James Lockhart, Imre Pallo, Harry Spence Lyth and flautists Sir James Galway, Julia Fekete-Berky, William Bennett, Paul Edmund-Davies, Janet Webb, Alison Mitchell, Vernon Hill, Mike Mower and Don Burrows have all been pedagogues of Daniel Smith.
Assistant Conductor to Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti (with the Sydney Symphony and Rome Opera), Daniel has also conducted the Junge Philharmonie Salzburg (Austria), the Festival Orchestra of Sofia (Bulgaria), the Eminence Symphony Orchestra (Australia) and the Sydney Symphony (Australia). He has recently been awarded a Master of Music degree in Conducting after returning from the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (University of Music and Dramatic Arts Mozarteum in Austria), Vysoká škola múzických umení v Bratislave (Academy of Performing Arts in Slovakia) and Accademia Musicale Chigiana Siena (Academy of Music Chigiana in Italy) where, on all occassions he was awarded their prestigious diplomas.
One of Australia's only Fellows of the Trinity College London, Daniel has been a finalist in the Sony Australian Music Awards (MusicOz) and prize-winner in the Master Performers Australia competition, held the position of principal flute with both the SBS Radio & Television Orchestra and Golden Kangaroos and was accepted into Cirque du Soleil's Talent Bank. He has recorded with ABC Classic FM, 2MBS-FM, Gonzo and Scarboro Music Productions and has been assistant conductor for Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Puccini's Tosca, Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Verdi's La traviata, Puccini's Fanciulla del West, Berg's Wozzeck, Puccini's La Rondine, Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and Rossini's Barber of Seville.
Daniel has been involved in music since first learning the flute at the age of 6, when his young, enthusiastic teacher had to hold up the end of his flute and work several of the keys as his fingers couldn't reach them. His performing career began at 11 when he won the Beethoven or Busk Classical Music Festival in Sydney. He went on to perform at the Bartok Music Festival, and over the years has won more than 70 prizes in competitions. Among them have been the esteemed Sydney Symphony Stuart Challender Fund Scholarship, Australia Council for the Arts Music Scholarship, Sir David Martin Memorial Award, Sydney Directory of Music Teachers Senior Scholarship, Berky Music Academy Chamber Music Scholarship, Olive Silvester Scholarship, The Fred Blanks Award, The Alan Bellhouse Memorial Scholarship for Conducting and was also awarded both the Associate and Licentiate Diplomas in Music. Earlier this year he was honoured with a scholarship to the prestigious Accademia Musicale Chigiana, one of the world's finest music academies which also crafted the careers of Carlo Maria Giulini, Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim and Charles Dutoit, among others.
At 16, he guest-conducted the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (broadcast on Channel 9) and has also held sell-out recitals for charities including St Vincent de Paul. He has toured Austria, England, France, Italy, Slovakia and Switzerland. Meeting with David Helfgott, at his country property at age 12, was an absolute highlight. His advice being, "Start now, keep smiling!"
He has many dreams and one day hopes to complete writing his first symphony and follow a world career in flute and conducting. What are dreams, if you can't aim for them?
Daniel plays a handmade solid-silver Muramatsu flute with a handmade 14k gold Lehner headjoint and is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.
