Minnesota born cellist Dr. Daniel Keeler is a passionate musician, educator, and composer. Praised for his "Lush" and "Energetic" playing, Daniel has performed across the United States as a soloist, orchestral, and collaborative musician. He has established himself as a pedagogue with numerous masterclasses and lectures at schools and clinics across the country.
Dr. Keeler is a Thursday Musical Artist of Minnesota and his accolades include top prizes in the Schubert Club Student Scholarship Competition, the MNSOTA Mary West Solo Competition, the Kenwood Symphony Orchestra 22nd Annual Masters Concerto and Aria Competition, the MTNA State Competition, and the Missouri Emerging Artist Competition. He performs with a 2017 cello by Krystian Grzybacz and a bow by JL Tauziede.
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As an orchestral musician, Dr. Keeler is a section cellist with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, as well as other leadership roles with orchestras at the community, collegiate, and professional levels. Accolades include appearances as a soloist with several orchestras around the midwest, performing works including Bloch's Schelomo, Dvorak's concerto in b minor, Lalo's concerto in d minor, and Elegies by Faure and Mallamud.
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As a performing chamber musician, Daniel is a member of the Pines Quartet. Additionally he has performed a vast array of contemporary works in various solo recitals and with groups such as the Missouri Contemporary Ballet, the Missouri Composers Orchestra Project, at the Missouri International Composers Festival, and even with the roots group Trampled by Turtles.
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Dr. Keeler is a board member of the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Association (MNSOTA), the Minnesota branch of the American String Teacher's Association. As an educator, Daniel is a professor at Concordia University - St. Paul, an Orchestra Director for Mounds View Public Schools, has been the cello instructor at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and teaches as a private lesson instructor to students of all ages and diverse backgrounds. Additionally, he has been a guest and resident cellist for a wide variety of music festivals around the states of Minnesota and Missouri.
In his free time Daniel enjoys hiking, canoeing, and backpacking around the United States, as well as boating excursions on the grand Lake Superior.
Dr. Keeler holds a Doctorate in cello performance and pedagogy from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, a Masters of Music from the University of Missouri-Columbia in cello performance, and Bachelors in Music Education from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. His primary teachers include Tanya Remenikova, Eli Lara, Betsy Husby, and John Madura.
