Daniel Knapp, originally from Minnesota, is a Cellist and Arts Manager committed to redefining the boundaries of classical performance and supporting contemporary artists. Praised for his “strikingly beautiful” playing (I Care If You Listen), Daniel brings passion and innovation to every aspect of his work.

 

His musical path began with Käthe Jarka and continued at Oberlin Conservatory under Dmitry Kouzov. At Oberlin, Daniel designed a unique major in Arts Administration & Concert Design, combining his passions for performance and the organizational side of the arts. As Founder and Director of The Musikos Collective, Daniel leads a student-led organization that has "grown into a staple of Oberlin life" (The Oberlin Review) through its eclectic programming and collaborative performances. Musikos has featured guest artists such as Paul Wiancko, Ayane Kozasa, Wendy Eisenberg, Ross Karre, Dana Jessen, and Zachary Good, and centers its concerts on creative, multidisciplinary programming.

 

Passionate about contemporary music, Daniel has commissioned numerous new works and premiered pieces by Joan Tower, Ben Nobuto, Nicole Lizée, and Courtney Bryan. Highlights of recent performances include collaborations with Eighth Blackbird, Ross Karre, and Viet Cuong. As cellist of The Ἔris Quartet, he is featured on a forthcoming collaborative album with Wendy Eisenberg, set for release on dear life records (Spring 2025) and on Arturo Orso’s HOMAGE (Summer 2024). Other notable recordings include a live performance of Joan Tower’s Into the Night with Eighth Blackbird and a feature on MPR Classical for the premiere of Evan Judson’s Pantomime.

 

Daniel has toured New York, Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg with various orchestras and has performed across the East Coast with The Ἔris Quartet, engaging audiences in prisons, parlors, libraries, galleries, and community spaces. The quartet recently completed a fellowship with the JACK Quartet as the Ensemble in Residence for New Music on the Point. In 2022, Daniel performed at Carnegie Hall with the Oberlin Orchestra for the United Nations General Conference and has since returned to NYC for Bang on a Can's Long Play and Loud Weekend festivals, performing alongside the Bang on a Can All-Stars. 

 

With extensive experience in arts administration, Daniel has supported artists through organizations such as the The Meadowmount School of Music, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, International Cello Institute, Bang on a Can, Music for Food, and Pink Noise Agency. Currently, he serves as Digital Coordinator for Bright Shiny Things and Assistant Tour Manager for Sybarite5.

 

Daniel is pursuing a BM in Cello Performance and a BA in Arts Administration & Concert Design at Oberlin. His favorite color is somewhere between a blood orange and a mango. And a pomegranate.