Daniel Harding facts for kids
Daniel John Harding, born on August 31, 1975, is a famous British conductor. He is also an airplane pilot! He has led many top orchestras around the world.
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Daniel Harding's Early Life and Career
Daniel Harding was born in Oxford, England. He loved music from a young age. He learned to play the trumpet at Chetham's School of Music. When he was just 13, he joined the National Youth Orchestra.
How He Started Conducting
At 17, Daniel gathered some musicians. They performed a piece called Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg. He sent a recording of this performance to the famous conductor Simon Rattle. Rattle was impressed! He hired Daniel as his assistant. This was with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1993 to 1994.
Daniel then went to the University of Cambridge. But after his first year, another great conductor, Claudio Abbado, asked him to be his assistant. This was for the amazing Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Daniel conducted the Berlin Philharmonic for the first time when he was only 21.
Youngest Conductor at The Proms
In 1996, Daniel Harding conducted at The Proms. This is a very famous music festival in London. At that time, he was the youngest conductor ever to appear there. It's interesting to know that Daniel has said he never had formal conducting lessons.
Leading Orchestras Around the World
Daniel Harding has been the music director for several orchestras. From 1997 to 2000, he led the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. He also worked with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen from 1999 to 2003.
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
From 2003 to 2008, Daniel was the music director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He still works with them today. He holds the special title of conductor laureate. This means he is honored for his past work with them. In 2005, he conducted the opening night at La Scala in Milan. This is a very famous opera house.
Work with London Symphony Orchestra
In 2004, Daniel became the principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). He started this role in 2006. With the LSO, he recorded an opera called Billy Budd.
Leading Swedish and French Orchestras
Daniel became the Principal Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2007. He has extended his contract with them several times. He is scheduled to finish his time with them at the end of the 2024–2025 season.
In 2015, the Orchestre de Paris announced Daniel as their new principal conductor. He started this role in September 2016. He finished his time with them after the 2018–2019 season.
International Engagements
Outside of Europe, Daniel Harding has also worked in Japan. In 2010, he became a music partner of the New Japan Philharmonic. He also became the artistic director of the Ohga Hall in Karuizawa, Japan, in 2012.
In 2021, Daniel conducted the annual Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert. He was the first British conductor to lead this special event. In March 2023, he was named the next music director of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Italy. He will start this role with the 2024–2025 season.
Daniel Harding's Personal Life
Daniel Harding has two children, Adele and George. He is a big fan of the football club Manchester United.
A Pilot Too!
Besides being a conductor, Daniel is also a licensed airline pilot. In 2019, he planned to take a break from conducting to fly commercially for Air France. These plans were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Daniel Harding was honored for his contributions to music. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Memberships
Daniel Harding is a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Harding para niños
