Daniel Simmons
Viola • 2025 Mozaic Fellow
Violist Daniel Simmons enjoys connecting with diverse audiences through his expressive and dynamic performances. Daniel has showcased his talent at prestigious music festivals including the New York String Orchestra, Toronto Summer Music, the Heifetz International Music Institute, Lake George Music Festival, Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra of the USA, Curtis Institute Summerfest, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the Sphinx Performance Academy. In 2023, Daniel attended the Conservatoire Américain in Fontainebleau, France, where he won Third Prize in the Prix Ravel. That same year, he was a finalist in the 63rd Eastern Connecticut Symphony Competition. In 2024, he won the Colorado College Summer Music Festival Concerto Audition, performing the Walton Viola Concerto with the festival orchestra.
Daniel has performed in many esteemed venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Dimenna Center, the Kimmel Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, the Harvard Club of New York City, and the Château de Fontainebleau. As a chamber musician, Daniel has collaborated with renowned artists including Scott Yoo, Samuel Rhodes, Hsin-Yun Huang, Philip Chiu, and Angela Cheng, as well as members of the Pacifica, New Orford, and Ying Quartets. Daniel held the chair of principal violist of the Columbia University Orchestra, and frequently performs as principal violist with the Brooklyn Orchestra. Daniel studied economics at Columbia University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Paul Neubauer and Steven Tenenbom.