DANIEL JAMES
Musician, instrumental teacher, conductor, arranger, accompanist
About
I am a musician based in Manchester and have done a wide range of musical work over the years: work in schools, private teaching, conducting, arranging and piano accompanying. I have a degree in music from Downing College, Cambridge and an MMus in Composition from the University of Manchester.
Teaching
I have extensive experience of teaching all of the following:
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Instrumental lessons on piano, double bass and bass guitar
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Music theory
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Aural training (eg. for ABRSM grade exams)
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Extra tuition for GCSE and A-level music students
Whether you're a beginner trying out an instrument for the first time, or you've already started work on your A-level recital, please contact me if you are interested in lessons.
Accompanying
As an accompanist, I have played for singers and instrumentalists in a wide range of settings: concerts, music festivals, exams, auditions. In addition I have worked as a repetiteur with Opera 74 in Bolton and more recently with City of Manchester Opera.
Arrangements
In 2015 I conducted a production of Die Fledermaus in Bolton, and set about reducing Strauss's orchestration for a chamber ensemble (something that wouldn't stretch our budget too much). The resulting version has had some success since I published it on IMSLP and has been performed in the USA, Australia and Germany. I've since been working on other arrangements from the operatic repertoire, including Gounod's Faust which was performed (also in Bolton) in 2017. Below are some examples...expect the list to keep growing! You can contact me if you're interested in buying full scores or parts.
I hope that these will be useful to opera societies with limited budget and/or space. I'm happy to be flexible when it comes to the price for buying these - get in touch and we can work out something that suits the needs of your production.
Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo; oboe; clarinet (B flat and A); bassoon; horn; percussion (timpani, triangle, spurs (or tambourine), snare drum, glockenspiel, bell, bass drum with cymbal attachment); piano; string quintet.
Video of some extracts from this arrangement, performed by New Jersey City University.
Charles Gounod: Faust
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo; oboe/cor anglais; clarinet (B flat and A); bassoon; horn; percussion (timpani, triangle, tam-tam, snare drum, bass drum with cymbal attachment); piano/organ; string quintet.
W. A. Mozart: The Magic Flute
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo; oboe; clarinet (B flat and optional basset horn); bassoon; horn; timpani; harmonium/celesta; string quintet.
Georges Bizet: Carmen
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo; oboe/cor anglais; clarinet (B flat and A); bassoon; horn; percussion (timpani, triangle, castanets, tambourine, snare drum, bass drum with cymbal attachment); piano; string quintet.