(SAN FRANCISCO) — Resound Ensemble, a community of singers committed to an eclectic repertoire that connects audiences to the human experience through song, welcomed renowned conductor and composer Daniel Hughes as its new artistic director.
In addition to his new appointment to Resound, Hughes is the long-time artistic director & conductor of The Choral Project, an award-winning, mixed-voice ensemble which specializes in high-level choral music ranging from the medieval to the contemporary.
“I’m both honored and excited to begin working with Resound and look forward to exploring new vistas of music making with these dedicated, passionate singers!” said Hughes, who begins his appointment August 1.
“As a group performing a wide variety of musical genres, Resound Ensemble is excited to engage an artistic director with Hughes’ breadth and depth of experience,” said Kristen Schultz Oliver, chair of the Resound Board. “We’re thrilled that Daniel will be leading Resound in its next chapter of growth and artistic development.”
Hughes has directed sessions in vocal pedagogy and conducting technique for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the California Music Educators’ Association/CASMEC, and GALA Choruses. He has also been a regular adjudicator for the California Golden State Choral Competitions, and has conducted honor choirs throughout the West Coast.
Resound Ensemble shares intimate, engaging performances with audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area. Recent highlights range from Samuel Barber’s “Reincarnations” to Benjamin Britten’s “Hymn to St. Cecilia” to Marques L. A. Garrett’s “My Heart Be Brave,” to Erika Lloyd’s “Cells Planets.”
Over the years, the Resound Ensemble has performed in the “Lou Harrison Centennial Concert” as part of the Other Minds Music Festival, the Masterworks Chorus at Carnegie Hall, and in Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, with the San Francisco Symphony.
About Daniel Hughes
Daniel Hughes is in constant demand as a conductor, accompanist, coach, and choral clinician. In addition to his new appointment to Resound, he serves as the artistic director & conductor of The Choral Project—an internationally award-winning mixed-voice ensemble specializing in dramatic, conceptual performance of high-level choral music from the medieval period to the contemporary, as well as ethnic and multicultural repertoire.
Hughes has directed many sessions in Vocal Pedagogy and Conducting Technique for the American Choral Directors Association, the American Guild of Organists, the California Music Educators’ Association, and GALA Choruses. He has been a regular adjudicator for the California Golden State Choral Competitions, and has conducted honor choirs and festival choruses throughout the west coast.
Collaborations include international performances with well-known ensembles such as renown mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, The King’s Singers, Canadian Brass, Lisa Vroman, Costa Rica’s Café Chorale, The Australian Voices, the critically-acclaimed San José Chamber Orchestra, and creative work with award-winning Broadway composer & lyricist Stephen Schwartz.
Hughes’ concert appearances include performances at Lincoln Center (New York City), Caulkins Opera House (Denver), Gusman Concert Hall (Miami), and Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco). He has also conducted world premiere compositions by many respected composers, including Stephen Schwartz, Nico Muhly, Brent Heisinger, Brian Holmes, Mac Huff, Theodore Lucas, Richard Burchard, Eric William Barnum, and Joshua Shank.
Hughes began studying piano and composition at the age of four. He has extensive training in piano and voice, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Conducting from San José State University. Awards include: 1st place (Conductor’s Choice Round), 2nd place (Required Pieces Round), and 3rd place (Folk Music Round) at the 2007 California International Choral Competition); 2nd place (Mixed Choir competition) at the 58th annual International Eisteddfod, Wales; 4th place (Small Ensemble Category) at the 35th International Choral Competition, Gorizia, Italy; the 2nd place award (ACDA National Student Conducting Competition); the Christina Cadena Memorial Accompanying Scholarship; and the California Arts Scholar Awards for piano and composition.
He is also a recipient of Arts Council Silicon Valley’s 2013 Artist’s Laureate Award (“On Stage” category), The American Prize Award for Choral Direction, and a 2010 Silicon Valley Arts & Business Award for 20+ years of excellence in the arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. An accomplished composer and arranger with a catalogue of nearly 100 works, he has been a 2015 and a 2016 finalist in The American Prize Competition for Choral Composition.
His works are published through Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Gentry Publications, National Music Publishing, and earthsongs, ArrangeMe.com, and MusicSpoke.com. Mr. Hughes’s biography is featured in Who’s Who in America. He also teaches voice and conducting privately in his Bay Area music studio..
Upcoming Events with Resound Ensemble:
New chorister auditions: August 21 at Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St., San Francisco
Fall concerts: November 8, 9, and 11, 2024, at Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St., San Francisco
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