Conductor

Conductor Daniel Alfred Wachs made his international debut with the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg at the Grosses Festspielhaus. Since then, he has appeared with leading orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and the Pacific region to critical acclaim, including the Minnesota Orchestra (where he served as Assistant Conductor), the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), Auckland Philharmonia, Fort Worth Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, and Sinfonia Gulf Coast. His recent engagements include Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 at the historic Waldsassen Abbey in Germany and a tour with Sweden's Musica Vitae, culminating at Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Música. In April 2026, Wachs made his debut at Carnegie Hall.

Concurrently, from 2008 to 2022, Wachs held the post of Music Director & Conductor of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCYSO). Under his leadership, OCYSO achieved national recognition, toured Europe, and performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall at the invitation of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He also led innovative collaborations with ensembles such artists and ensembles as the Kronos Quartet, Midori, Ray Chen and the Royal Philharmonic Society of Great Britain among others.

Under Wachs’ leadership, The Chapman Orchestra became the resident orchestra for Opera Chapman, one of the nation's premier undergraduate vocal programs. Following the opening of the $82 million Musco Center for the Arts—dedicated by Plácido Domingo and described by the Los Angeles Times as "an ideal opera house, potentially the best in the West"—Wachs led professional-caliber productions spanning Mozart, Britten, Puccini, Ravel, Strauss, and Sondheim, providing aspiring opera singers the experience of performing with a resident orchestra in a world-class opera venue. During this period, Opera Chapman alumni including Ben Bliss, Efrain Solis, Duke Kim, and Janai Brugger, advanced to leading international careers.

An accomplished pianist, Wachs’ performance with the Minnesota Orchestra “proved a revelation, delivering a technically impeccable, emotionally powerful performance of two Mozart piano concertos and a pair of solo works,” raved the St. Paul Pioneer Press. With the encouragement of Zubin Mehta, Wachs studied with Enrique Barenboim (père) in Tel Aviv before pursuing studies in Zürich and at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and graduating from The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School. He has participated in festivals such as Aspen, Tanglewood, Sion, and Verbier, studying with Christoph von Dohnányi, Frühbeck de Burgos, Hans Graf, and David Zinman.

Wachs presently resides in Vienna.

Wachs’ operatic experience includes work with Cincinnati Opera and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for the French premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Candide. He also served as Resident Conductor of New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center and as assistant conductor for Sir Colin Davis, Stanislas Skrowaczewski, Osmo Vänskä and Kurt Masur at the Orchestre National de France.

Wachs’ versatility and musical leadership have been recognized by prestigious institutions such as the Wolfgang Sawallisch Foundation, where he led conducting masterclasses, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic and Houston Symphony, where he served as cover conductor. He has also prepared orchestras for Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Spivakov and Carl St. Clair.

An experienced and sought-after educator, Wachs has been invited to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing as a guest conductor in the fall of 2026. Most recently, he served as Visiting Conductor & Caine Scholar Mentor at Utah State University’s Caine College of the Arts. Previously, Wachs was Associate Professor, Director of Orchestral Activities & Director of the Undergraduate Conducting Program at Chapman University Conservatory of Music.

Wachs guided the ensemble with energy, precision, and a welcome sense of clarity and poise. The performance wasn’t just good by standards for younger performers, but forceful and exuberant by any standard: genuinely inspiring, technically proficient, structurally sound. The combined choruses were a powerhouse.

- Orange County Register