Biography
Daniel Whitworth (b.1996) is a multifaceted composer of concert, film, and game music with a body of works encompassing many different styles and sounds. With projects ranging from squeak-fueled hamster rock to satirical political opera to impressionistic soundscapes, Daniel is always looking for new challenges and pushes himself to create art that engages and provokes.
As a passionate proponent of bringing accessibility to concert spaces, Daniel aims to connect with his audiences by breaking down the barriers that traditionally trap contemporary music in its historic, academic bubble. One of his most recent projects, a concert entitled Snapshots of America, explored themes of politics and social justice through a combination of chamber music and live improvisation, reflecting Daniel’s passion for music with sociopolitical relevance.
Daniel’s music has received recognition across the globe, recently winning awards such as the Lake George International Composition Competition, the American Prize for Instrumental Chamber Music, the Frost International Composition Competition, and the Jon Vickers Film Scoring Award. In the past year, he has been commissioned by the Seattle Opera (as part of his fellowship with the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab) and by violinist Barbora Kolářová for a unique piece called Alma, a narrative soundscape exploring the haunting story of Alma Rosé through the intersection of solo violin and electronics.
With a constantly expanding list of film credits, Daniel recently scored two shorts funded by Film Independent: The Mason Ring (2022) and Alma y Paz (2022), and composed the score for the award-winning feature-length documentary Eat Your Catfish (2022). Daniel was also selected to score the music for the Library of Congress’s restoration of silent film Phil for Short (1919/2022), which premiered with a live orchestra in February 2022 and will soon be distributed by Kino Lorber on BluRay and various streaming platforms.
Daniel holds a Master of Music in Scoring for Visual Media from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and a Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University where he majored in Composition and Saxophone Performance.
More about me
In addition to composing, I'm also an avid saxophonist, hiker, board game amateur, and a coffee-lover in denial.
I’m open to new projects and commissions! Please reach out if you’d be interested in collaborating, and we can create something amazing together!