Meet Danny Jordan | Violist and Music Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danny Jordan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danny, why did you pursue a creative career?
Honestly, I know it’s a cliché to say, but I don’t really feel like I had any choice in the matter – I HAD to be a musician. I’ve been fortunate enough to find joy in a lot of things that I’ve done in my life, but never before had I felt so compelled to do or be anything. Even though I originally set out to be a classroom orchestra teacher and am now primarily a freelance performer and private teacher, the need to make classical music was still there.
  

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art and the way that I try to create is primarily driven by my experience as a queer person. I grew up in a really small town outside of Houston and, while I wasn’t being attacked left and right, I really did not feel welcome in most of the spaces that I was a part of. Because of this, I have always made an effort to create an artistic space in which everyone feels welcome and included. This manifests itself in a lot of different ways in my day to day work, but I would say that the most obvious and important to me is when it comes to showcasing music. Since I first got the opportunity to program my own music, it has been a goal of mine to highlight the music of composers whose voices are traditionally forgotten in classical music – composers who are women, queer, black, indigenous, and more. With all due respect to the standards of the classical music repertoire, I know what it feels like to not see myself represented in media and want to ensure that I don’t cause that feeling in anyone who consumes my art.

Getting to where I am today was far from easy, but a successful career in classical music never is. Just as the stereotype goes, it took thousands of hours of really hard work to get to the point where I am. In addition to that work, though, I was very lucky in a lot of ways. I had really phenomenal teachers that came into my life at perfect times, wonderful and supportive friends and family, and the good fortune of not having large financial barriers. I also was lucky enough to have good enough grades in high school to have my entire undergraduate degree paid for when my academic and artistic scholarships were combined, which made going through school a lot less stressful. In all, I wouldn’t have gotten through any of the difficulties I’ve had in my life without the support of those around me. This speaks to one of the most important lessons that I’ve learned throughout my time as a classical musician – be kind. It costs absolutely nothing to be nice to those around you and some of my most important opportunities I’ve ever had have been due to connections that I’ve made in school and work. Without the combination of these relationships and a lot of hard work, I would have never even made it though college.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a tough question, because for a long time I was a real homebody when I wasn’t in school or working. Fortunately, I’ve been able to come out of my shell a bit more over the past year or two so I’ve got something in mind! I would definitely start off with a trip to some of my favorite local shopping spots. The suburbs of Dallas have some great thrift and resale shops in the area and I always have to take friends to Frisco Mercantile for some shopping. I would also need to make sure to take any visiting friends to Lula B’s in the Design District. When it comes to food, I’ve got a lot of places that I love, so I’ll narrow it down to a few options. First is one of my first favorites in Dallas from my time at SMU, Pho Crimson – they’ve got a fantastic chicken pho and great vibes. Next is Barcelona Wine Bar for tapas, a new experience for me but one I LOVE. Lastly, I would definitely recommend Mot Hai Ba in the Lower Greenville area for some insanely good Vietnamese Fusion food. I could go on and on about food, but I’ll stop there. When it comes to other attractions, I would have to take a friend to visit the Meadows Museum on SMU’s campus. In addition to studying music, I also studied Spanish during my time at SMU, and the Meadows Museum has the largest collection of Spanish art outside of Spain, so it is a must see here in Dallas. Finally, I would finish off the week with a Dallas Symphony concert, of course, hopefully featuring some Shostakovich or Tchaikovsky!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have so many people that came to mind instantly – first of all are my parents. I never EVER could have gotten to the point where I am in my career without their support. Both of my parents have been 100% on my side since the moment I told them that I wanted to be a musician and I couldn’t be more grateful. In addition to my parents, I have to thank all of my teachers who I’ve had over the years, both in the classroom and in the private lesson space. In particular I want to thank all of my viola teachers that I’ve had through the years, Penny Meitz, Larry Wheeler, Barbara Sudweeks, and Mark Jackobs. I can honestly say that I can track a major part of what I do to each of these four mentors and I can’t even begin to state how grateful I am to have gotten the chance to work with each of them. Finally, I wanna thank my friends from throughout my career. From beginner player to professional musician, they have all helped me so much to become the person and musician I am today. Specifically, I want to thank Alyssa Craze, Alexa Garza, Madison Pruden, Maddie Mullen, Allie Simpkins, and Juan Riveros. Each of you had such an important and special impact on my personal and professional development and I don’t know where I would be without you all.

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