Daniel Pelton is an award-winning saxophonist and composer from Calgary, Alberta. Daniel began playing saxophone at the age of nine and pursued his musical studies at the University of Calgary, graduating with his Bachelor of Music degree in 2018. Inspired by his musical hero Frank Zappa and somewhat disillusioned by the impersonal approach of the modern classical music performance scene, Daniel made it his goal to create music that could push boundaries while still prioritizing a positive audience experience, and to create space for others to do the same. Daniel’s efforts to achieve this goal include creating the funky horn band Long Time No Time, and his contemporary chamber group The Daniel Pelton Collective. Daniel has performed with these groups across Western Canada, and his recorded music has been featured in various press media across the world. Daniel also created the Composer in Residence position with the Calgary Public Library, led the University of Calgary Jazz Orchestra in rehearsal and performance for a full semester, and opened for Too Many Zooz on their Canadian tour. In his free time Daniel enjoys writing 200-word biographies and dreaming about making a livable wage from his original music. And eating snacks.
Created and conceived by Daniel, Violins of Hope serves as a stark reminder of the experiences of the Jewish people and other victims of the Holocaust. The Daniel Pelton Collective recorded the project using instruments from the “Violins of Hope” collection brought to the National Music Centre by Ammon and Avshalom Weinstein – historical violins that once belonged to Holocaust survivors, were discovered in concentration camps, or were left behind by those who could no longer carry. “Releasing this album on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz is not only a tribute to the victims of the most horrific genocide in history, but also a powerful reminder”, writes Daniel. “I hope that the instruments enjoyed their time being played in this piece that only acknowledges the light and leaves the darkness behind”.