Daniel Ward

With a lifetime of professional experience as a guitarist, educator, and musical polymath, Daniel Ward is pleased to be joining the UNM Music Department as Interim Head of Guitar Studies. Daniel’s eclectic resume reflects his universal love of music, and he credits his education at UNM (Classical Guitar Performance Bachelor’s degree with Composition Minor, 1990) for exposing him to the diversity of styles and performance opportunities that shaped his career.

As a classical guitarist, he has performed in both solo and ensemble settings, notably with the Santa Fe Opera (Ainadamar), and Opera Southwest (Zorro), Chatter Ensemble (compositions including works by Steve Reich, George Crumb, Linda Catlin Smith) and with the Del Sol Quartet for the Santa Fe Opera’s preview series. He recently enjoyed performing as a soloist for KHFM radio’s 10 at 10 artist series.

Flamenco has been a major part of his career, performing solo as well as with dance ensembles. He is a veteran of 5 world tours with the Ottmar Liebert group, and toured with dance troupes lead by Maria Benitez, the Encinas family (Yjastros ), Dance España and Miel Amarga companies. Jazz and World Music are also on his resume, highlights include the Telluride Jazz Festival (US), Jast Fest Istanbul (Turkey), and San Remo Festival (Italy). He currently performs on electric and acoustic guitar with multiple groups around New Mexico and beyond.

Additionally, in the past decade he has distilled his skills, becoming well known in the world of ukulele as a performer, clinician and author of the best-selling “Arpeggio Meditation” series of method books. He has pioneered Flamenco for ukulele, collaborated with uke greats Jake Shimabukuru and James Hill, and is a contributing editor and columnist for Ukulele Magazine.

Daniel Ward’s experience as an educator parallels his performance career in its diversity. He is currently the Classical Guitar instructor at NMSA (New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe) and is creating a Flamenco program there. He has taught in private and public schools in Los Angeles, CA and across New Mexico, served as a clinician in the community college system of Phoenix, AZ and at Cal Arts. The ukulele has taken him to teach and perform across the country and around the world, including the UK (Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, Great Northern Ukulele Festival, London Ukulele Project) China (Music China trade show, Shanghai Ukulele Competition official judge) Mexico, Canada and Haiti!

Commissions for composition include string quartets for the Del Sol Quartet, four-hands piano works, soundtracks for television commercials, numerous episodes of PBS NM’s “Colores”, and documentary films, notably his soundtrack for “Old Man and the Sea: Return to Cuba”. He has transcribed to create books for Mel Bay and Hal Leonard, and written full orchestral scores for NMSO (New Mexico Symphony Orchestra) as well as created a large body of student guitar ensemble repertoire.

Notable discography:
After the Storm, 2003 (Flamenco fusion)
My Cup of Tea 2010 (Family music)
El Ukulele, 2012
Tube Tone 2021 (electric Jazz)