Daniel Alfred Wachs

In the fall of 2006, Daniel Alfred Wachs assumed the position of Music Director & Director of Orchestral Activities at Chapman University in Orange, California. Concurrently, he serves as Music Director of the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra which has just entered its 40th season.
Born in 1976, Wachs was raised and educated in the United States, Israel and Europe. At the age of eight, he was auditioned by Zubin Mehta and began studies with Enrique Barenboim. He subsequently pursued studies at the Zürich Academy of Music and the North Carolina School of the Arts. Wachs holds a bachelor's degree in piano from the Curtis Institute of Music and graduate degrees in piano & conducting from The Juilliard School.
Mr. Wachs recently completed his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National de France in Paris under Kurt Masur. His recent engagements include the French premiere of Bernstein’s Candide at the Théâtre du Châtelet (a co-production with La Scala & ENO), Verdi’s Un Ballo in maschera with Opera Santa Barbara and Britten’s Albert Herring with Opera Chapman. He served as a juror for the 2007 ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Award in New York and as Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Opera during its 2007 Season.
During his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, Wachs conducted a semi-staged performance of Amahl and the Night Visitors with the Minnesota Opera Chorus and James Sewell Ballet Company.
During the 2004-05 Season, Wachs held the position of Artist in Residence at New York City Ballet, leading performances during the company’s Balanchine Centennial as well as during the 50th Anniversary of The Nutcracker. He has guest conducted such orchestras as the Auckland Philharmonia of New Zealand, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and the Florida West Coast Symphony.As a pianist, he has performed in such venues as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, the Salle Paderewski in Lausanne, and at such festivals as Aspen, Tanglewood and Verbier.