Dan VanHassel (b. 1981) is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and concert producer living in Oakland, CA. His music is deeply grounded in his experience growing up performing in rock bands as well as orchestras and chamber ensembles, and explores unexpected connections between American popular music and the contemporary avant-garde. Some of today’s top emerging performers have championed his music, including pianist Keith Kirchoff, saxophonist Michael Straus, flutist Laura Heinrichs, and bassoonist Dana Jessen. Ensembles such as Steve Schick’s Red Fish Blue Fish Ensemble, Ensemble SurPlus, the Virginia Intercollegiate Band, the Ohio University Percussion Ensemble, and the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic have also performed his work.
Dan is also active as a performer and concert promoter. He was a founding member of the new music ensemble Agenda, the avant-garde rock band Output, and the composers collective Test Pattern. He also is a co-founder of the ‘Embryonic Noise’ concert series in Boston, devoted to the music of emerging composers, as well as the ‘Comprovised’ music series spotlighting contemporary improvisation. He has been educated at institutions including Carnegie Mellon University and the New England Conservatory, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D in composition at the University of California, Berkeley.