The American tenor and cellist, Daniel Taylor, obtained his and Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from the Peabody Conservatory (2006-2010); and his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Temple University (2010-2012). Before he shifted his focus to singing, his work as a cellist saw him performing orchestrally, as a soloist, and extensively as a chamber musician, including a dive into early music with work on Baroque cello and viola da gamba. While at Peabody, he was a founding member of the early music ensemble, Charm City Baroque, and also performed with the Baltimore Baroque Band and Peabody’s Viola da Gamba Consort.
Daniel Taylor exercises his artistry across opera, chamber music, ensemble singing, new music, early music, and even as an instrumentalist. He is noted for his “solid, ringing tenor that is rich and intense” and as a “mellifluous talent you should watch for” by Opera Today. He is establishing himself with a voice of power, sensitivity, and musicianship, garnered from a wealth of experience across a wide variety of disciplines.
Beginning as a member of the chorus at Opera Philadelphia in September 2012, Daniel Taylor has since emerged to perform principal roles for the company including Remendado in Georges Bizet's Carmen and Lucio in Rossini’s Otello. Additionally, he has workshopped and premiered roles in a number of new operas, such as Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners (as Vince) and Breaking the Waves (as the Stone Thrower), Kevin Puts’ Elizabeth Cree (as Priest and Librarian), and Lembit Beecher’s Sky on Swings, where he sang the role of Ira alongside the legendary Frederica von Stade. Other workshops have included operas by Rene Orth, David Hertzberg, Jennifer Higdon, and more. Beyond Opera Philadelphia, he has performed operatic works with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Curtis Opera Theater, Beth Morrison Projects, Three Oaks Opera, Poor Richard’s Opera, Opera Libera, Children’s Opera Box, and Temple University Opera Theater.
Aside from opera, Daniel Taylor explores projects spanning from early music to new music, appearing as a guest soloist with the South Jersey Pops, The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Drexel University Chorus, Delaware State University, Kent Chamber Choir, Reading Choral Society, Opus One: ECHO, and Philadelphia Voices of Pride. As a great admirer of chamber music, he performs often with Variant 6, and recently premiered with Network for New Music. He is also active as an ensemble singer, most notably as a member of the GRAMMY award winning new music chamber choir, The Crossing, having also sung a number of solos with the group in works by composers such as David T. Little, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Gavin Bryars, and Thomas Lloyd.
Daniel Taylor currently lives with his family in Warrington, Pennsylvania and otherwise enjoys thinking too deeply about fantasy worldbuilding, (so far) successfully convincing his daughter that birding is cool, indulging his soft spot for games with settlement creation mechanics, and leaving a trail of other neglected introvert hobbies that he’ll definitely get back around to eventually. |