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  Daniel Smith, The Cello Doc


                                       ​     ABOUT THE CELLO DOC

Hello and thank you for visiting my website! Below is a brief outline of my journey thus far, and how I came to receive a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Cello Performance.

I am originally from Southern California. Music has  been a part of my life since I was very little... I sang in children's choirs, I've played piano since I was five, and I began cello at age ten. I didn't decide to pursue cello professionally until I was a senior in high school. Up until that point, I valued my academics above cello, and after my school work, I spent an equal amount of time playing cello and competitive baseball.

I believe life is about becoming a well-rounded person, not just a well-rounded cellist, and for that reason I encourage and support my students to put school first, and to pursue their other interests outside of cello and music.

After deciding to become a professional cellist in my senior year of high school, I pursued a career in cello vigorously in my Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the University of Michigan, studying with Professor Richard Aaron. I finished these two degrees in four and a half years, and then decided to pursue a Doctorate at the University of Texas in Austin. I graduated last Spring, and am now officially a doctor!

I spent my time teaching, performing as principal cellist of the Waco Symphony Orchestra, as well as other orchestras.  I moved back to my hometown of Long Beach in 2016, and have since worked for various teaching programs, including the LA Philharmonic's Youth Orchestra (YOLA), and the Pascale Music Institute in Pasadena, and most recently, Elemental Music, in Santa Monica. I now maintain a private teaching studio in Long Beach and Santa Monica, perform with local orchestras, and am continuing to to promote classical music in Long Beach through the creation of new and multi-dimensional concert experiences. You can check out my project, The Infinite Stage, on Facebook to see all that I am doing already. 


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Education

• Bachelor's of Music- 2010
• Master's of Music- 2011
(Both at University of Michigan)
• Doctorate of Musical Arts, 2015
( University of Texas)
• Suzuki Method Certification
(Books 1 and 2)

Awards

• Partial Merit Scholarship,U of M
• Full Tuition Scholarship- UT
• Concerto competition winner-
​     UT 2015

Teachers

- David Garrett- 2003-2007
- Richard Aaron- 2007-2012
- Bion Tsang- 2012-2015
- Joshua Gindele- 2015

Memorable Festivals

- BUTI Tanglewood Festival
- Heifetz Summer Institute
- Astona Summer Festival  
    Switzerland
- Colorado College Summer Music 
   Festival

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