Daniel Bell
2nd Violin

Daniel Bell
Born 1976 in Edinburgh
2nd Violin

“A second violinist often needs to find a particular kind of bow contact in order for the instrument to sing out in the middle and lower registers. And he must take great care over his ability to switch in an instant from one function to another: for example, from playing in octaves with the first violins or accompanimental figures with the violas to bringing out his own melodies. In my very first concert with the Philharmonic I already had the feeling that I could play and make music exactly as I’d always wanted to do in an orchestra. The astonishing standards of my colleagues are a constant inspiration.”

Daniel Bell came to the violin by chance. An acquaintance of his parents started a Suzuki class and asked if the then four-year-old Daniel might not want to join. But it was only later, when he performed in various youth orchestras, that making music in an ensemble awakened in Daniel Bell a true passion for playing the violin. Following his training at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he earned his Master of Music degree in 1998, he further developed his skills with Michel Schwalbé in Berlin and Reinhard Ulbricht in Dresden.

Daniel Bell began his musical career as a soloist and chamber musician. From 2000 to 2008 he was a member of the renowned Petersen Quartet, with whom he appeared in the most important international musical centres and at the great festivals of Salzburg, Gstaad, Edinburgh and Rheingau. He also acquired extensive experience in leading positions with major international orchestras and ensembles. Bell has also been active as a pedagogue, including at the summer academy of the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. In 2008 he was a jury member in the “string quartet” category at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. His hobbies include reading, swimming and yoga. He plays a violin by Nicolò Amati, Cremona.