Daniel Afonso
Daniel R. Afonso, Jr. is professor of music and Coordinator of Vocal and Choral Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. He received a degree in Educação Artística from the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI-Rio), a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. Dr. Afonso is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has studied conducting with Carlos Alberto Figueiredo, Cees Rotteveel, Eph Ehly, and William Hatcher.
Dr. Afonso has performed with choral groups in Brazil, U.S., and Europe, and has previously taught music at the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI-Rio), and Doane College (Nebraska). He was the winner of the First Prize and the Best Performance of Villa-Lobos Work awards at the Concurso Villa-Lobos de Canto Coral, a national choral competition sponsored by the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Afonso is strongly committed to the performance of new music and has commissioned and premiered innumerous choral works, including several of his own compositions and works by young composers.
He is the founding director of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus and, since 2001, has prepared several choral masterworks with the ensemble. He often serves as a guest conductor with the Modesto Symphony and frequently conducts the orchestra and chorus in performances.
Afonso is a composer, arranger, and editor of choral music and has choral works published by earthsongs, Colla Voce, Alliance Music Publications and Carl Fischer. He served as composer-in-residence with the San Francisco Choral Artists during their 2014-2015 season and has also written works for the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Children's Choir, the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and Choruses, as well as other ensembles in the US and abroad. He has written innumerous arrangements and orchestrations for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, including a new version of The Star-Spangled Banner for orchestra and chorus. Recently, his newest composition for youth choir, piano, and percussion was premiered at Carnegie Hall, in New York City. Dr. Afonso is widely recognized for his research and performance of Brazilian choral music and continues to frequently present workshops and lectures about the Latin American choral repertoire—he most recently presented a series of lectures and conducting masterclasses at the Liszt Academy, in Budapest.
He is very active as a voice instructor, clinician, and guest conductor, and has presented hundreds of choral workshops, clinics, and coaching sessions throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Afonso is also the 2020 recipient of CMEA's John Swain College-University Educator Award