Musical
Expression
Daniel Canosa conducts
with heart
By Lily O’Brien
M
usic is incredible. If you
engage with it, it can
penetrate your entire
body, and go straight into your
heart . . . and maybe into your
soul. Live performances can have
the most direct impact; singers
and instrumentalists can send
out vibrations in a room that are
almost palpable.
There is an art to live
performance, however, and
Argentinian-born composer
and conductor Daniel Canosa
has journeyed far and wide to
develop the skills and knowledge
to create performances that are
not just technically correct but
are also—inspirational.
“Music has a purpose of waking
people up to a larger reality,”
says Canosa. “My role is—I am
the medium—the person who
makes that possible.”
As the current director of several
10
Marin Arts & Culture
Marin-based ensembles, his
musical influence has touched
many in the community—and
beyond. received an invitation to do
exchange concerts with the
Apollo Symphony Orchestra in
California’s Sierra Foothills.
So how did he get started? Canosa accepted and came
“West.” After three months, they
asked him to stay on, and he
decided to move to California.
The orchestra was part of
a spiritual community that
included a winery and an arts
center.
“I come from a country that is
very musical,” says Canosa. “My
father wanted me to learn tango
so that I could sing to him,” he
adds with a laugh. He began
studying classical guitar at age
six at a small local music school.
“I grew up in a neighborhood
that was very rough,” says
Canosa. “And going to this little
conservatory—when I opened
the door, it was like a new
world!”
Canosa studied composition and
conducting at the Argentine
Catholic University, continuing
at the Universidad Nacional
de La Plata. In 1989, after
several years developing
his career in Argentina, he
But Canosa still had a hunger
to learn more, and particularly
about the specific intricacies
of baroque music. So in 1992,
he wrote a letter to renowned
Bay Area baroque conductor,
Nicholas McGegan, asking if he
could study with him. Much
to his surprise and delight,
McGegan said yes.
“I had no money,” says Canosa,
explaining that he paid for
the lessons with bottles of