“If I have a big performance or a big life event coming up, I love to take a lot of long walks,” he said. “Just to clear my head and ponder nature, implementing that into my music.”
Music is a realm of influence, and Daniel made sure to credit those who have influenced his journey, beginning with his first piano teacher, Benita Edwards, the worship arts pastor at True Divine Baptist Church in Montgomery.
Daniel also credits Dr. Eun-Hee Park, a former piano professor at UM who is now at South Dakota University, as instrumental to his success. Furthermore, his current instructor, Dr. Laurie Middaugh, is someone who helped him prepare for the Carnegie Hall moment.
“My professors are amazing,” Daniel said. “They’ve helped me along the way so much, and I thank them so much for that.”
While Daniel’s technique has obviously improved during his time at UM, so has his connection and emotional awareness to the pieces he’s performing.
“I’ve learned about feeling the emotions behind music and relaying those same emotions to the audience,” he said. “It’s one of the big things that I’ve learned here and has stuck with me personally.”
Daniel recalled the moments before the concert with fondness, as he waited in the wings for his biggest opportunity to date.
“I never thought that this moment would actually happen,” Daniel said. “I thought it would be way later in my career.”
Now that the moment has passed, Daniel is hungry to grow even more musically, abounding in joy after a tremendous milestone.
“I feel like I’m in a good place right now with how I am musically, and I’m still looking to grow more in the future,” he said. “Right now, I’m feeling a bunch of joy after this great accomplishment.”
Daniel made sure to leave parting words for other aspiring musicians dreaming of performing on the world’s biggest stages.
“Even if you think you can’t play something, try it anyway,” he said. “Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t because they think it’s too difficult for you.”