daniel smith

This week Daniel was named a Fellow of the Aspen Music Festival where he will be in residence, conducting from June to August this year.

Travelling from Spain to the USA, Daniel will give performances on flute and conduct over 60 works for orchestra by composers ranging from Mozart to Kodály.

During his residency, Daniel will direct orchestral performances, family concerts, opera, record film scores and work with new composers.

More information will be available soon.

In June 2010, Daniel will represent Australia in the final live rounds of the 10th Cadaqués International Conducting Competition after qualifying from hundreds of candidates around the world for the prestigious competition.

To be held in Spain and organised by the Cadaqués Orchestra, the competition was set up in 1992 for the purpose of discovering and promoting young conductors, with the winner being offered the opportunity, during three seasons, to conduct the 28 main symphony orchestras in Spain, the Wiener Kammerorchester, the Koninklijk Filharmonisch Orkest van Vlaanderen, the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, all involved in the competition.

The jury is formed of leading figures in the world of music, of different nationalities and from different professions, who all have some connection with orchestra conducting – conductors, soloists, composers, music critics and artistes’ agents – together with members of the Cadaqués Orchestra. The post of Chairman of the Jury has been held alternately by Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Sir Neville Marriner.

The repertoire for the competition is a combination of well-known orchestral works and lesser known Spanish pieces, some never performed before and other historical pieces that had been forgotten or never played or published since the time they were written.

In line with this innovative spirit, in each edition of the competition a Spanish composer is commissioned to write a piece to be premiered at the end of the event.

Greetings from Gothenburg, Sweden! It’s a little cooler here than Singapore! At the moment, -9 degrees celcius. This is only the third time I have ever seen snow and it’s glorious! As I look outside my hotel window, the square below is completely white. The only sight, trees who have lost their coats and empty benches where come summer, would be overflowing with the Swedish eating their lunch. Occassionally, people walk past in their thick coats, barely exposing their heads. I can see the roof of the concert hall next door where I am heading now to give a masterclass on Brahms with the Swedish National Academy Orchestra. Come Friday, here’s what is waiting…

Young Maestro, Daniel Smith, has been named as an Australian destined for great things in a list appearing in next week’s Sydney Morning Herald.

the(sydney)magazine, available on Thursday, 28th January as part of the Sydney Morning Herald, lists Daniel as one of the top people to watch in 2010.

Daniel is currently in Europe conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra – The National Orchestra of Sweden in a performance including Graeme Koehne’s Powerhouse and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 and will present a masterclass with the Swedish National Orchestra Academy on Brahms’ Symphony No.1.

Wishing you all a very happy new year, I’m writing from Singapore! After spending a beautiful Christmas at home with my family and relatives this year, I look forward to taking you back on the road for an exciting year around the world. Although holiday time means more time for study, I had an adventurous time in Sydney going whitewater rafting and caving! I’d like to think I’m Indiana Jones :P Most of the time however, was spent preparing the scores for upcoming performances in Sweden. I am very much looking forward to giving a masterclass workshop with the Swedish National Orchestra Academy on Brahms’ 1st Symphony and to make music for the first time with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra – The National Orchestra of Sweden. The program is one very close to my heart with the incredibly moving 5th Symphony of Tchaikovsky (one of my all-time favourite works) and for the first time in their history, a slice of Down Under, with Graeme Koehne’s Powerhouse. I hope you will enjoy the journey of 2010 with me – I look forward to sharing it with you! As promised, during my travels, I will write some tips to help you travel better – things that I have encountered whilst being on the road. Today’s tip is to pack a powerboard in your luggage. With all the electronics to recharge like mobile phones, camera batteries and laptop computers, I always bring one with me… and it also helps as an extension cord!

Daniel Smith has been given the opportunity of a lifetime to conduct the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra next year.

BY VANESSA BRADBURY

CARLINGFORD musician Daniel Smith has been invited to conduct one of the world’s leading orchestras next year.

He will conduct the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the national orchestra of Sweden.

After his success earlier this year in the Malko International Conducting Competition in Denmark, Smith, 27, was asked to spend a week with the orchestra.

“Without notice, I was invited by Maestro Dudamel, to conduct the dress rehearsal,” he said.

“This resulted in the offer to do my own concert with this prestigious orchestra, in their 2010 subscription season.”

In January, he will lead the orchestra in a program that will include Australian composer Graeme Koehne’s Powerhouse and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5.

Smith has been assistant conductor for the past five years to Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti, former chief conductor and artistic director of the Sydney Symphony and Rome Opera.

He also won the 2009 Helpmann Award in memory of Maestro Brian Stacey, for emerging Australian conductors.

Also a flute player, Smith has studied with Sir James Galway, William Bennett and Julia Fekete-Berky.

He was awarded the highest diploma of merit and a full-time scholarship for his five-year conducting course which he completed this year at the renowned Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Italy.

Just a quick notice to let you all know that Daniel will be giving an interview with Mairi Nicolson on ABC Classic FM, tomorrow, Saturday, 21st November from 2pm – 3pm about his journey so far and upcoming performances in Sweden. For more information, see the performances page.

Photo by Andy Stavert

from The Australian, Thursday, November 19, 2009, by Penny Durham.

SYDNEY’S Daniel Smith first picked up a flute at six, won a competition at the Beethoven or Busk Classical Music Festival in Sydney aged 11 and guest-conducted the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at 16. Winner of this year’s Helpmann Award for emerging conductors, the 28-year-old has been assistant conductor for five years to Gianluigi Gelmetti, working with the SSO, Orchestra della Toscana, Opera Monte Carlo and Rome Opera. Now he has been invited to conduct the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in January, after reaching the semi-finals of the Malko International Conducting Competition in Denmark. Smith will conduct a program including Australian composer Graeme Koehne’s Powerhouse.