Dan Wions
Founder and Head Consultant
Music has been an integral part of Dan's life since early childhood. He began studies on piano at the age of two, composition at age five, and finally the horn at age nine. His performance experience is extensive, ranging from orchestral, concert band, chamber music, and solo repertoire, to pop, rock, show tunes, and jazz.
As a Hornist, Dan has worked under the baton of such prestigious conductors as James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Michael Tilson Thomas, Manfred Honeck, Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel, Michael Stern, Stefan Sanderling, and Eri Klas, among others. He has also recorded on the Sony Classical and Naxos labels, and for NASCAR and ESPN productions. Dan has performed on tour dates with Dave Brubeck, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, John Legend, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, Carlos Santana, Kenny G, Frank Sinatra Jr., Patti Lupone, Anne Murray, Leann Rhimes, Mannheim Steamroller, Clay Aiken, Jack Jones, The Irish Tenors, Ronan Tynan, and Josh Groban, among others. He has performed as a soloist with the National Concert Party (Chamber Orchestra of America) at the Kennedy Center, and with the Massapequa Philharmonic. Recent appointments include Principal Horn of the Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia, Hornist of the Brass Roots Trio, Principal horn of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, and Third Horn/Co-Principal of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. Dan was also a finalist in auditions with the New York Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic, Delaware Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, and Hartford Symphony. Teachers include Michelle Baker, Myron Bloom, Scott Brubaker, Tony Cecere, Peter Gordon, Michael Hatfield, Rick Seraphinoff, and Chris Wilhjelm.
Dan holds a BM in Horn Performance, with outside studies in piano and composition, from Indiana University. He is a former faculty member of the Westminster Conservatory of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ, and currently teaches during the summer at the Summertrios chamber music festival (www.Summertrios.org). He has been a participant at the FAME festival and the National Orchestral Institute, and is also a previous member of the prestigious Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland.
In addition to Horn, Dan has been successfully marketing himself as a cocktail pianist since his sophomore year in High School. In 2000, he was selected to play piano at a reception held for the Dalai Lama in Bloomington, IN. And, in 2004, he was asked to play a benefit concert on piano for the Guggenheim Foundation. Dan has performed regularly for Nordstrom Department stores, Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt Regency Hotels (among others), and countless holiday parties, weddings, B'nai Mitzvahs, Birthday parties, and corporate events for such big name clients as:
- H David Meyers – Former CEO of Time Saver Mastercard and Visa
- Lance Boxer – IPC executive, formerly of Lucent Technologies
- David Simon – CEO of Simon Property Group, owner of Simon Malls
- Vivian Sarota of The Guggenheim Foundation
- Indiana University
- Princeton University
- Westminster Choir College
Dan resides in Hillsborough, NJ, freelancing and teaching primarily in the NJ, NY, PA tri-state area, and touring and contracting internationally.