Bio

Steve Danyew, composer, bio

Steve Danyew’s music has been hailed as “startlingly beautiful” and “undeniably well crafted and communicative” by the Miami Herald, and has been praised as possessing “sensitivity, skill and tremendous sophistication” by the Kansas City Independent.

Danyew (b. 1983) is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his work, and his compositions have been performed throughout the world in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the steps of the US Capitol. Danyew’s recent work Into the Silent Land was named the winner of the 2019 Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize. Three of his compositions for wind band are featured in Volume 11 of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band (GIA).

In addition to composing, Danyew is a passionate educator who teaches composition lessons through his own private studio. He also teaches courses focused on helping young musicians craft their own creative careers at the Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership. He is the contributing author for the 2nd edition of Ramon Ricker’s book Lessons from a Street-Wise Professor: What You Won’t Learn at Most Music Schools (Soundown, 2018). He is also a frequent guest composer and lecturer at schools throughout the United States.

In 2020, Danyew and his wife Ashley created Musician & Co., a new resource that equips 21st-century musicians to be both artists and business owners. The mission of Musician & Co. is to provide an innovative model for bridging the gap between the practice room and a profitable business.

Danyew grew up in New England, playing the saxophone and improvising music on the piano. After a performance of his own work, the South Florida Sun Sentinel proclaimed him a “saxophone virtuoso par excellence, making the instrument sing as well as shout.” Danyew performed as a saxophonist in the University of Miami Wind Ensemble under the direction of Gary Green, and this formative experience led him to begin composing works for wind band.

His music has been Hailed as
"startlingly beautiful" and
"undeniably well crafted and communicative" by the Miami Herald

Danyew received a B.M. in Composition from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami where his primary composition teachers were Scott Stinson and Dennis Kam. He also holds an M.M. in Composition from the Eastman School of Music. Additionally, Danyew has served as a Composer Fellow at the Yale Summer Music School with Martin Bresnick, and as a Composer Fellow at the Composers Conference with Mario Davidovsky.

 

Danyew self-publishes much of his music catalog, though several of his choral works are now available from Augsburg Fortress and Colla Voce. Visit the store to listen to recordings and audio samples, view perusal scores, and order music.

 

Composition Awards & Honors

Finalist, Sousa-Ostwald Award, American Bandmasters Association - 2023

Bandworld 100 list 2023 – Message of Light included - 2023

Bandworld 100 list 2022 – Magnolia Star included - 2022

GIA Teaching Composition Through Performance, Volume 12, 2 works included - 2021

Winner, Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize - 2019

Finalist, National Band Association William D. Revelli Composition Contest - 2019

Finalist, National Band Association William D. Revelli Composition Contest - 2018

GIA Teaching Composition Through Performance, Volume 11, 3 works included - 2017

Winner, Hot Springs Concert Band Composition Contest - 2012

Winner, Keene State College Wind Ensemble Call for Scores - 2011

Finalist, ASCAP Morton Gould Awards - 2006-2009, 2011

Honorable Mention, ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Wind Ensemble Competition - 2010

Winner, Brighton Bands National Fanfare Competition - 2010

1st Prize, Shoreline Chorale Celebrating Connecticut Composers Competition - 2010

3rd Prize, Wegmans/Penfield Wind Ensemble Commission Competition - 2010

1st Prize, Octarium International Choral Composition Competition - 2009

Winner, Delaware Valley National Young Composer Competition - 2009

Runner-up, Sacra Profana Choral Composition Competition - 2009

Regional Winner, SCI/ASCAP National Young Composers Competition - 2008

1st Prize, Ithaca International Choral Composition Competition - 2008

Winner, BMI Student Composer Award - 2006

2nd Prize, APSU National Young Composers Competition - 2006

Winner, Frost Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition, University of Miami - 2006