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Piano Faculty; Program Director, Chamber Music
Email
dbaer@musicinst.org
Instrument(s)
Available For
Online
In-Person

Dr. Daniel Baer has been a member of the Music Institute’s piano faculty since September 2017. He earned his doctor of musical arts and bachelor of music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and his master of music degree from The Juilliard School. He has performed across the United States and Europe, including in solo and collaborative recitals at the International Bergen Arts Festival, the Grieg Society of Oslo, Avery Fischer Hall, Kilbourn Hall, Nichols Hall, and Steinway Hall. Dr. Baer won first prize, the Marshall Prize, at the 2015 Grieg Festival Young Artist Competition held in Sarasota, Florida. He has been a prizewinner in many other national and international piano competitions including the Iowa Piano Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Competition, and the Empire State young artist piano competition. In 2020, Daniel Baer was selected to be the artist-pianist for the 2020-2021 LYNX Project. He will be premiering new songs for voice and piano as well as recording songs for an anthology celebrating four years of the autism advocacy series. You can learn more at lynxproject.org. He is a member of Music Teachers National Association, for which he has served as Young Artist Competition Coordinator in Illinois, and Suzuki Association of the Americas. 

Education

(BM)    Eastman School of Music
(MM)  Juilliard School  
(DM)   Eastman School of Music  

Additional Studies / Recent Awards / Recordings

The New York Times has hailed Daniel Baer as a pianist who plays with “fluidity, warmth, and sparkle” who “achieved the often elusive…goal of putting virtuosity at the service of bigger ideas.” He has performed across the United States and Europe, including in solo and collaborative recitals at the International Bergen Arts Festival, the Grieg Society of Oslo, Avery Fischer Hall, Kilbourn Hall, Nichols Hall, and Steinway Hall.

Dr. Baer won first prize, the Marshall Prize, at the 2015 Grieg Festival Young Artist Competition held in Sarasota, Florida. He has been a prizewinner in many other national and international piano competitions including the Iowa Piano Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Competition, and the Empire State young artist piano competition.

Dr. Baer was invited to be the guest artist at the Leschetizky Annual Birthday Recital and was praised for a performance where “every note had color, depth, emotion, and meaning.”

In 2020, Daniel Baer was selected to be the artist-pianist for the 2020-2021 LYNX Project. He will be premiering new songs for voice and piano as well as recording songs for an anthology celebrating four years of the autism advocacy series. You can learn more at lynxproject.org.

Basic Teaching Philosophy or Special Music Interests/Specialties

"I want each student to achieve their goals at the piano and to have a good experience playing and studying music. I teach technique not just to achieve mastery at the keyboard, but also to gain expressive freedom at the instrument. I encourage my students to use the score to support their musical intuition and to help shape their interpretive choices."

Professional Affiliations & Activities

MTNA Young Artist Competition Coordinator Illinois
Suzuki Association of America MTNA

Interests/hobbies outside of music
A few of my favorite things…
What do you love about playing your instrument?

"My interests outside of music include: reading, coffee, tea, soccer, running, cooking, and being outdoors."

"I love music from the early 20th century: Karol Szymanowski, Lili Boulanger, Carlos Chavez, Paul Hindemith, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, Bela Bartok, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Igor Stravinsky, and Arnold Schoenberg to name just a few! I also love to read fiction and essays about music."

"I love the piano because each pianist brings a unique personality to the instrument. You can tell who the pianist is based on the nuances of their tone and phrasing. I also love the depth, range, and variety of piano literature. There are always new composers and music to study, explore, and perform."