Daniel Meyer

As Director of Orchestral Activities at Duquesne University, Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic, and Artistic Director of the Westmoreland Symphony, Daniel Meyer has reinvigorated orchestras with his innovative programs, engaging presence and keen musical intellect. Recently named Artistic Director of Cleveland's BlueWater Chamber Orchestra and Music Director of the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra, Meyer took the helm of this historic summer music festival in July 2019.

In addition to collaborating with world-renowned soloists such as Marc-André Hamelin, Sharon Isbin, Gil Shaham, Jeremy Denk, Daniil Trifonov, Midori, and Emanuel Ax, Meyer's passion for connecting with audiences has led him to develop strong ties with the community though frequent radio and television appearances, press interviews, music talks, appearances in local schools, and speaking from the concert stage. In continuation of his longtime dedication to music education and community involvement, Meyer created Beethoven 4/4, a four-year project focusing on the life and works of the great composer with the Erie Philharmonic. He conducts new commissions, this season including a violin concerto by Michael Torke, a trumpet concerto by Vivian Fung, and an overture by Zhou Tian.

At Duquesne University, Meyer has embarked on a recording project of the concertos of Lynn Purse and collaborates with pianist David Allen Wehr and bass-baritone Guenko Guechev. He returns to conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony and West Virginia Symphony this season and leads a new production of Mozart's Così fan Tutte. He recently recorded the music of Hanson, Diamond, and Daugherty for the Bavarian Radio with the Bamberger Symphoniker. Recent guest appearances include the Detroit Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Portland Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Württembergische Philharmonie, Staatsorchester Darmstadt, and the Nuremberg Symphony in Germany.

Meyer's eclectic and groundbreaking symphonic programs this season include works by American composers Norman Dello Joio, Howard Hanson, Alan Hovhaness, and Duke Ellington in combination with masterworks of Ravel, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky. Featured works include Shostakovich's epic Symphony No. 5, Sibelius' Symphony No. 2, and great vocal works including Fauré's Requiem with the Cleveland Chamber Choir this May.

As part of his highly-acclaimed tenure as Music Director of the Asheville Symphony, Meyer created the Asheville Amadeus Festival, featuring sold-out weeks of film, lectures, community events, and concerts centered around the music of Mozart and pianist Emmanuel Ax in 2015 and violinist Midori in 2017. In recent seasons, Meyer has frequently conducted the Rochester Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as guest engagements with the Indianapolis, Columbus, Phoenix, Eugene, Alabama, and Knoxville Symphonies. His critically acclaimed European debut took place with the Staatstheater Stuttgart Orchestra and violinist Thomas Zehetmaier, and he returned to Germany soon after for concerts with the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, and to Austria with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna and the Wiener Jeunesse Orchestra. Meyer's summer festival appearances have included the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, the Aspen and Grand Teton Music Festivals, the Chautauqua Festival, Brevard Music Center, and Lakeside Chautauqua.

Upon the invitation of Mariss Jansons, Meyer was named Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Music Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, where he served until 2009. A native of Cleveland, Mr. Meyer studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He composed and conducted works for ensembles at both schools, including a Stabat Mater for soprano, chorus, and orchestra. At Boston University, Mr. Meyer received the Orchestral Conducting Honors Award and was awarded the prestigious Aspen Conducting Prize from David Zinman. He received an honorary doctorate from Edinboro University in 2016.

• Rotary Scholar, Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna, Austria
• M.M., University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
• B.A., Denison University

• Conducting
• Mid-20th Century American Composers