Daniel Taylor
Conductor
“There are at least half a dozen recordings of Vivaldi's Stabat mater that I wouldn’t want to be without but this profoundly beautiful version leaps straight into their ranks. The Theatre of Early Music band is small … but its playing never feels underweight, and rhetorical qualities in the music are clear yet unforced”
— Gramophone Magazine: Editors Choice
Daniel Taylor has established a worldwide reputation as one of the most sought-after interpreters of baroque, classical and contemporary repertoire. Daniel turned his attention to a conducting following his highly successful debut with Tallis Scholars and the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal. With the Theatre of Early Music, which he founded and conducts, Daniel’s extraordinary series of recordings for SONY include The Voice of Bach and Come Again Sweet Love as well as his award-winning choral recordings with The Trinity Choir: Four Thousand Winter, The Tree of Life and The Path to Paradise. Read more in biography below.
Recent News
Available Programs
The Coronation of King George
A magnificent coronation service full of celebration, pomp and ceremony. With original texts and through thoughtful research, Daniel Taylor and the Theatre of Early Music take us on a musical pilgrimage back to Westminster Abbey in 1727 in a truly illuminating and spectacular reconstruction of the Coronation of King George II.
Watch & Listen
Biography
Daniel Taylor, O.C., is sought-after as one of the world’s most innovative, passionate and insightful musicians. As a countertenor and conductor, he has developed an enviable reputation founded on his inspired and enlightened vision. His work, as founder and artistic director of The Trinity Choir (TTC) and the Theatre of Early Music (TEM) has marked him out as a key figure at the forefront of today's early music revival, of historically informed performances and of new creations.
As a guest of the leading choirs and orchestras, Taylor conducts choral repertoire from the 17th to the 20th centuries and was the first guest conductor in the history of The Tallis Scholars. He has since joined in directing members of the Voces8, the Sixteen, Kammerchor Stuttgart, NY Clarion and the Gabrieli Consort. He was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal for Music and most recently, the Order of Canada in January 2021.
The breadth of Taylor's repertoire is illustrated in the extensive catalogue of award-winning recordings with his own ensembles and leading orchestras and appearing as soloist including more than 120 titles as wide-ranging as de Ventadorn, Tallis, Lassus, Dowland, Bach, Pergolesi, Purcell, Handel, Zelenka, Schubert, Howells, Mozart, Elgar, Martin, Larkin, Taverner and Pärt. Daniel brings to all choral literature rigorous academic scholarship and thoughtful, emotionally compelling interpretations that stand him as a leader in today's musical life. His many recording accolades include a GRAMMY award, a Juno award, Opus, CBC, Diapason D'or and the Gramophone Award.
Through a vast range of activities and for very personal reasons, Daniel Taylor works to affirm access to important community events and believes in equality of opportunity, partnering with artists, not-for-profit organizations, politicians, scientists and educators to bring to light the benefits of music and the arts for our health and culture. Across Canada, in a variety of key relationships, Daniel Taylor guides the work of major arts institutions, encourages the creation of projects featuring old and new repertoire, and serves as a mentor to artists at the beginning of and throughout their careers.
Press
“His star is rising as fast as the speed of sound…Daniel Taylor, a new Conductor on the scene breathing new life into magnificent yet neglected choral masterpieces.”
— Globe and Mail
“Beauty of his voice will stop you in your tracks…”
— Gramophone
“The superstar countertenor of our time and Canada’s most prolific classical recording artist.”
— CBC Radio
“Tonight felt like a kind of affirmation of permanence in the face of change and disorder in the world. St Paul’s Basilica at Queen & Power was packed with eager listeners, attracted no doubt by The Tallis Scholars’ wonderful discography, but also perhaps aware of the new kids in town, Taylor’s two ensembles that shared the program and are now also recording for SONY.”
— The Toronto Star
“He is part angel, part man.”
— The Guardian, UK
“Under the direction of Daniel Taylor, Dido and Aeneas was a miracle.”
— La Presse