Born in Stirling, Daniel showed a keen interest in music from an early age, beginning his musical journey at the age of eight, playing bass guitar in a punk band with his brother. Daniel was handed a double bass at the age of 14 and hasn’t put it down since.
Daniel continued his studies at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) where he achieved a first class bachelor’s degree in music, before moving to New York to study at Manhattan School of Music.
Daniel’s teachers have included Tom Berry, Iain Crawford, Timothy Cobb and Nikita Naumov, and he has participated in masterclasses from world-renowned musicians such as Joel Quarrington, Ed Barker, Janne Saksala, Thomas Martin and Rinat Ibragimov.
Daniel has played with ensembles including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO), the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra, Scottish Opera and Glasgow New Music Expedition. He has featured on several CDs, including with the BBC SSO and with the RCS playing Mahler Symphony No.4. In 2014, he was the recipient of the Eugene Cruft Double Bass Prize.
In March 2014, Daniel travelled to India with the BBC SSO after successfully auditioning for their mentoring project. The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience which involved travelling to three Indian cities to give music workshops and public concerts, with Nicola Benedetti as soloist and James McMillan as conductor.
Daniel would like to thank the Stirlingshire Educational Trust Fund, The Hope Scott Trust, The Dewar Arts Award, The Waddell Memorial Prize and the Scottish International Education Trust for making his musical career financially possible.
What is your favourite piece of music, and why do you love it?
Stevie Wonder – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. It’s one of those songs that can turn a bad day good.
What do you do with your time when you’re not playing music?
I have a very close family so that’s one way I spend the time, although my family is very musical so we are often playing together! My brother is a pro-wrestler (alla WWE) so I like to go and support him at his matches. I also enjoy cooking/baking and reading. I’m a very sociable person so will spend a lot of time hanging out with friends.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us
I spent three weeks in Italy recording an album with a hardcore punk band signed to Warner/Chapell in 2010.