Daniel Colaner Becomes a Celebrated Young Organist
Daniel’s journey into classical music began as a form of cognitive therapy during his battle with stage IV neuroblastoma as an infant, unleashing his passion for the piano at age 6 and organ at age 10. Since being awarded an Anthony Quinn Foundation Scholarship in 2023, which allowed him to travel to France to play the great organs of Paris, he has been the 1st Prize winner of the Arthur Poister National Organ Competition, the L. Cameron Johnson Organ Competition, the Albert Schweitzer Organ Competition (HS Division), the National High School Organ Competition, and the David Dubois Organ Competition. He was also the recipient of the Greater Bridgeport AGO Miller-Knox Scholarship and the Delaware Valley Music Club Bart Pitman Memorial Keyboard Scholarship.
His busy concert schedule included ringing in the holidays on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1830 Thomas Appleton organ in New York City, a solo recital on the Setnor Guest Artist Series at Syracuse University, a sesquicentennial celebration concert at The Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus in Slavic Village (Cleveland), and solo organ recitals at several churches across Ohio. He also performed Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 in D major with the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra as winner of their Young Artist Competition and his Meraki Piano Trio was selected to compete in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, finishing as one of only four piano trios to advance to the semi-final round.
Also a dedicated church musician and music education advocate, Daniel has been employed as the Organ Scholar at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. He served as the Organ Scholar for the 2024 RSCM Washington, DC Choral Residency and as a presenter for Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza, a community workshop sponsored by the American Guild of Organists that introduces children and youth to the pipe organ.
This past spring, he completed his pre-collegiate music studies in piano, music theory, and chamber music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and as an organ student of Dr. David Higgs at the Eastman Community Music School. He is looking forward to making Philadelphia his home for the next four years where he will be serving as the Organ Scholar at the Episcopal Church of The Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, PA, and as a Wanamaker Assistant Grand Court Organist at Macy’s Center City, while pursuing a Bachelor of Music Degree in Organ at the Curtis Institute of Music.
For more information, visit danielcolaner.com.