ABOUT DÁNIEL

Dániel Matei is a Hungarian-Romanian percussionist-composer with a keen interest in the collaborative and ever-evolving nature of music. The non-canonic, inherently creative character of percussion has always fascinated Dániel, as it has allowed him to explore new ways of sound-making, as well as building on other approaches and disciplines. His studies with Sō Percussion at Bard College have been especially influential in broadening his understanding of music. While completing a double degree program in Italian Studies and Percussion, he chose to explore Italian Futurism and its particular interest in language as sound. Dániel completed a scholarly study on this subject, based on original archival research in Milan, Italy, and composed a chamber piece, Noi Vogliamo…, based on the Art of Noises, a Futurist manifesto by Luigi Russolo.  During his current studies with John Ferrari and David Cossin at Manhattan School of Music’s Contemporary Performance Program, Dániel is interested in exploring domains of improvisation and how electro-acoustic music can push music’s boundaries. 

Recent noteworthy projects have included performances with the Hungarian National Philharmonic, playing timpani in a performance of Beethoven’s Egmont overture in Budapest in solidarity with thousands of spectating protestors, and an original structured-improvisation-based piece for violin, percussion, and live electronics (co-written with Madeline Hocking), which premiered at the Kiscelli Museum in Budapest, Hungary in November.