
Daniel Taylor - Countertenor
University of Toronto, Canada
An exclusive recording artist for Sony Classical Masterworks, Daniel Taylor is one of the most sought-after countertenors in the world. Daniel appears on more than 100 recordings which include Bach Cantatas/Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner (for Deutsche Grammophone Archiv and SDG); Renaissance duets with Bowman /Actor Ralph Fiennes/TEM (BIS); Handel’s Rinaldo with Bartoli /AAM/Hogwood (Decca); Cantatas "Before Bach" with Collegium Vocale /Herrewege (Harmonia Mundi); Sakamoto’s pop-opera "Life" with the Dalai Lama and Salman Rushdie (Sony); Bach Cantatas with Bach Collegium Japan (BIS); a Bach recital with the Theatre of Early Music and a recital The Voice of Bach (Sony); Vivaldi Gloria with the Bethlehem Bach Choir/Funfgeld (Analekta); Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater (BIS); four recordings of Handel’s Messiah, these being with the Kammerchor Stuttgart/Bernius (Carus), with the American Bach Soloists/Thomas(Koch) and most recently a CD/DVD with Tafelmusik(Bravo Television) and a live recording with the New York Philharmonic/Rilling. Daniel has recorded the CD/DVD of the Bach B minor Mass with the Ensemble Orchestral Paris/Nelson (EMI Virgin) and also a CD with the Kammerchor Stuttgart/Bernius (Carus). Upcoming recordings include Bach Cantatas with the Magdalena Consort/Chandos , Handel Messiah with the Handel&Haydn Society/Christophers (Coro) and a new project with Cellist Matt Haimowitz and the Actor Jeremy Irons.
Daniel’s debut at Glyndebourne in Peter Sellar's staging of Handel’s Theodora (recorded for Erato) followed on his operatic debut in Jonathan Miller’s production of Handel’s Rodelinda (EMI). He took the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo at the Edinburgh Festival. His North American operatic debut was in Handel’s Cesare at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Daniel receives invitations from an ever-widening circle of the world’s leading early and contemporary music ensembles, appearing in opera (Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne, San Francisco, Rome, Welsh National Opera, Canadian Opera, Opera North, Montreal Opera and Munich); oratorio (Gabrieli Consort, Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists, Bach Collegium Japan, Les Arts Florissants, Berlin Akademie fur Alte Musik, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, King’s Consort); symphonic works (Cleveland, St. Louis, Lisbon, Philadelphia,Tonhalle Zurich, Toronto, Gothenburg, Rotterdam, Montreal); recital (Vienna Konzerthaus, Frick Collection, New York, Forbidden Concert Hall, Beijing, Lufthansa Baroque Festival, Carnegie and Wigmore Hall, London) and film (Podeswa’s Five Senses for Fineline - winner atCannes and also of a Genie). Daniel Taylor is now recognized as "Canada’s superstarcountertenor" and "Canada’s most prolific recording artist" (CBC Radio).
Highlights of past engagements include Handel’s Messiah with San Francisco Symphony/Christophers; Handel’s Rinaldo with the Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood, Handel’s Israel in Egypt with the Cleveland Orchestra/McGegan; Orff's Carmina Buranawith the Toronto Symphony/Oundjan; Messiah with the St. Louis Symphony/Christophers; Bach Christmas Oratorio with the National Arts Centre/Pinnock; Handel’s Rinaldo at theMunich Opera House/Bickett; Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Philadelphia Orchestra/Dutoit; Handel’s Saul with Bachakademie Stuttgart/ Rilling (for Hänssler Classics); Buxtehude Cantatas with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra/Koopman (Channel Classics); Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Taiwan National Symphony/Grossman (Koch) andSchnittke’s Faust Cantata with the Rotterdam Philharmonic/Gergiev. Daniel also sang at a Pow-Wow of First Nations in Alberta and on Parliament Hill for Queen Elizabeth and the Prime Minister of Canada. He appeared on German Television for the Prime Minister of Germany, on Spanish Television for the Queen of Spain and in a recital for the King and Queen of Sweden. With the Gabrieli Consort/McCreesh, Daniel toured Europe in Purcell’s Odes, appeared in recital on Polish Television and toured Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas; he also appeared in the Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Tonhalle Zurich Orchestra/McCreesh. With the Madrid National Orchestra/Goodwin, he sang in the Bach St. Matthew Passion on Spanish Television. With the Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner, Daniel appeared on the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage joining in concerts and recordings across Europe and North America. With the English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner, he appeared in Handel’s Israel in Egypt at the BBC Proms; returning to the BBC Proms in recital with the Berlin Akamus.
During the last season, new recordings were released : Handel Messiah with the Montreal Symphony/Nagano (for Universal), Bach St. John Passion with the Bethlehem Bach Choir/Funfgeld (Analekta); Daniel also appeared on the new soundtrack with the Cirque du Soleil (Universal). Messiah performances included Dallas Symphony/Rilling, McGill Chamber Orchestra/Brott, with Tafelmusik and a return to Los Angelas and San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque/McGegan. Highlights also included Orff Carmina Burana with National Arts Centre Orchestra /Matheus. Recital appearances across the United States culminated in his return to New York's Carnegie Hall followed by his return to the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires for Handel’s Opera Rinaldo. Daniel appeared in the World Premiere of Robert Lepage's production of Ades' The Tempest. Upcoming engagements include Daniel's recital debut at Lincoln Centre, Handel's Messiah with the Toronto Symphony/McGegan, Bach Cantatas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, a recital with the Milwaukee Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and a recording of medieval music on the ECM label. Daniel's latest recording was the new recital disc "Come Again, Sweet Love" on Sony.
As an educator, Daniel has offered master classes at the Beijing Conservatory, the Sao Paolo Conservatory, at the Royal Academy, the Guildhall and the Royal College of Music. He has also given classes at leading Universities across North America. Daniel is also a Visiting Artist at the University of Ottawa, Artist in Residence at the Opéra de Montréal and Artistic Director of the International Festival of Sacred Music Quebec.
The University of Toronto recently appointed Daniel Taylor to the position of Head of Early Music and Professor of Voice in the Faculty of Music. Daniel is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Choir and Orchestra of the Theatre of Early Music. The Theatre of Early Music performs more than 30 concerts every year in concert halls all over the world. His recent conducting debuts included his appearance with the Kammerchor Stuttgart as well as being the first guest conductor in the history of The Tallis Scholars.