Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser facts for kids
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser is a Canadian orchestral conductor. He is well-known for creating and leading concerts that introduce classical music to new audiences. He often mixes classical music with modern styles and focuses on themes that appeal to people who might not usually go to symphony concerts.
He was born in Calgary, Alberta. He studied music at the University of Calgary and the Royal Northern College of Music. Before becoming a full-time conductor, he taught music for several years.
His Journey as a Conductor
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser has held many important roles with orchestras across North America. He has been an associate conductor for the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. He also worked with Symphony Nova Scotia as an artist in residence and helped connect the orchestra with the community. For the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, he was an education conductor and community ambassador, helping to make music accessible to everyone.
He has also been a guest conductor for many famous orchestras. These include the San Francisco Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington National Opera.
Most recently, in 2023, he made his conducting debut at Lincoln Center in New York City with the New York Philharmonic. He led one of their famous Young People's Concerts, which are designed to introduce classical music to younger audiences.
Exciting Performances
On August 18, 2023, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser was a guest conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. This concert featured music by Tchaikovsky and ended with the exciting 1812 Overture, complete with a huge fireworks display! He mentioned that he had never conducted with fireworks before, but he kept going, and the audience loved it.
He has also created special shows like The Long River in 2018. For this performance, he worked with Symphony Nova Scotia and folk musician J.P. Cormier to celebrate the music of Canadian artist Gordon Lightfoot.
Another popular show was Soul Legends: From Isaac Hayes to Marvin Gaye in 2019. This program featured soul and rhythm and blues music. He performed it with the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic.
Documenting His Work
A television documentary film called Disruptor Conductor was made in 2019 by Sharon Lewis. It showed Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser's unique work on four different shows from 2018.
- One show was a string quartet performance for people in a correctional facility.
- Another was a special concert with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra designed to help children with autism enjoy the music in a comfortable way.
- He also led a show with the San Francisco Symphony that connected classical music with African music. This performance included African drumming by Magatte Sow.
- Finally, the film featured "Thorgy and the Thorchestra," a show that celebrated diversity and different kinds of artists, starring classical violinist and performer Thorgy Thor.
The film was shown on CBC Television on September 5, 2019, as part of the CBC Docs POV series.
Radio Host
Since 2021, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser has been the host of Centre Stage. This is a weekend classical music program on the CBC Music radio network, where he shares his love for classical music with listeners.
