Daniel Lapp is a world-renowned singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, teacher, archivist, band leader, sideman, producer, promoter and – no kidding – the list goes on. And like the true-blue Canadian he is, Daniel does it all with trademark energy and warmth. As a fiddler, jazz trumpeter and singer/songwriter, Daniel Lapp has played on over 100 albums and performed across Canada, United States, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Finland and Germany with some of the world’s most renowned Folk and Jazz musicians. Daniel is the winner of the B.C. Fiddle Championship and has appeared as a soloist with the CBC Chamber Orchestra as well as the Prince George, Victoria, and Vancouver Symphonies. A legendary force in Canada’s fiddle scene, in addition to his outstanding performing, Daniel has been musical mentor to hundreds of students—many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the music industry.
Born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia, Daniel Lapp learned the joy of fiddle music from his grandfather, five uncles and numerous accordion playing aunts. Family events were excuses to play music and he carries this tradition into a new era and contemporary culture. Throughout his diverse musical career, Daniel has learned to play numerous instruments in many musical genres. He studied jazz at Humber College in Toronto and received a music degree from the University of Victoria specializing in trumpet, composition and world music.
In 1994, Daniel formed the first B.C. Fiddle Orchestra with 10 of his brightest students. This exceptional group was invited to perform in front of an audience of 60,000 people at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. In 2010, Daniel was again front and centre for the live audience of more than 60,000 in B.C. Place Stadium for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremonies as well as the millions watching on television around the globe. It was the largest audience for a Canadian broadcast in our nation’s history and Lapp was unmistakable. He was one of the featured fiddlers (Ashley MacIsaac also among them) during the kitchen party section of the three-hour showcase, his wild blonde mohawk straight up in the air like his music style.
In addition to maintaining an international performing career, in 2014 Daniel was appointed as the inaugural Artistic Director of the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s new Chwyl Family School of Contemporary Music, where he now under the umbrella of the VCM, continues to direct the BC Fiddle Orchestra, the “Joy of Life” Choir, and “Folkestra”, teaches fiddle and trumpet privately, and is Artistic Director of the Contemporary Music component to the VCM’s Postsecondary Diploma in Music Performance. Daniel also continues to be Artistic Director of the VCM Presents “Daniel Lapp Home for Christmas” shows, and “Joy of Life Festival”, as well as most recently, the newly founded “LukeFest”.