On Feb. 11, St. George’s Episcopal Church invites all to come to a very special concert. “Remembering Daniel” will honor St. George’s tenor soloist Daniel Chaney who passed away last year of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The church’s former music director Connie Grisham has commissioned a choral work to be composed in his memory.
David Avhalomov, a composer who has also sung with the St. George’s choir in the past, has written the work for choir and cello that will be premiered at the 10 a.m. service on Feb. 11.
Daniel was born the son of a pastor in Malta, Montana and later moved to Colorado before settling into the Los Angeles professional music scene. He was a member of both the LA Opera Chorus and the LA Master Choral for more than a decade each. He worked with LA Philharmonic violinist Vijay Gupta to create the “Street Symphony” project in which professionals volunteer time to bring music to prisons and homeless shelters.
“Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be a musician,” Daniel said in a past interview with CVW.
The decision to move to California was not an easy one but it was something he felt he had to do.
“Friends told me that I really only had two choices: either move to New York or move to Los Angeles,” he said. “I had a friend who lived in West Hollywood and he suggested I take a vacation here and feel out the place. I fell in love with Los Angeles….It’s amazing.”
That was a lucky decision for the thousands that have been in the audience when Daniel took the stage and were privileged to hear his amazing voice.