Biography of Musica Bella Orchestra soloist Daniel Molkentin

Tenor Daniel Molkentin received his Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance from Mannes College of Music. After the spending the past year in Boston, MA studying with Frank Kelley and freelancing, he has returned to New York City, a place he is happy to call home. While at Mannes, Daniel studied voice with Antonia Lavanne and had additional studies with Paul Sperry, Thomas Bagwell, Christina Stanescu, and Marianne Barrett. Daniel has sung in numerous concerts both as a soloist and ensemble member, performing music in seven languages from the Baroque to present day. He has performed with many ensembles in and around the New York area, including Ars Musica, Musica Bella, Bach Society of Columbia, the New York Cantata Singers, and Cantatas in Context at St. Bartholomew’s. In the summers of 2006 and 2007, Daniel enjoyed working as an apprentice at the Berkshire Choral Festival alongside many wonderful musicians and singing under the batons of Jane Glover, Robert Page, Frank Nemhauser, Craig Hella-Johnson, and John Alexander.       Three years ago Daniel and guitarist Paul Smith came together to form what is now the Janus Duo. The duo is dedicated to the expansion of voice and guitar repertoire by finding, commissioning, and performing new and unknown works. As a soloist, Daniel has presented several song recital programs, performed in Miller Theatre, Weill Hall, and the Greenwich House Music School, and countless times in the Mannes Concert Hall. He has also collaborated on numerous occasions with the Bach Society of Columbia Orchestra under the direction of David Rosenmeyer, performing works by Bach, Mozart, and Purcell, and premiering new works.       Daniel dedicates much of his time to the study and performance of Art Song; studying the standards while looking for hidden treasures and collaborating with living composers to premiere their works. These collaborations with composers, including Robert Cuckson, Terry Champlin, Paul Smith, James Blachly, Hadas Peerey, and David Loeb, have resulted in numerous premieres over the years.       He will be a soloist in Musica Bella’s presentation of Bach’s Mass in B Minor on January 26 and 27, 2008. Musica Bella concerts: January 26, 2008; January 27, 2008 This bio last updated December 2007