16/04/2023
After studying a Bachelor Degree at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, master's degrees in both classical and contemporary percussion followed at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München under Prof. Raymond Curfs. In his studies he was regularly influenced by renowned percussionists such as Simone Rubino, Peter Sadlo, Claudio Estay and Carlos Vera Larrucea. He followed masterclasses with international soloists such as Martin Grubinger, Robert Van Sice, Marta Klimasara, Alexej Gerassimez, Bogdan Bacanu and also with David Herbert (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) Wieland Welzel and Franz Schindlbeck (Berliner Philharmoniker) Nicolas Martynciow (Orchestre de Paris) and Jörg Hannabach (Munich Philharmonic)
As a Soloist, Daan Wilms, was highly acclaimed for his musicality, creativity and technique by Juries at International competitions winning many prices, among others 1st prize at the Nurnberg Percussion Competition 2022 (Germany), 1st prize at the Belfius Music Competition (Belgium). Concerts have taken him to Poland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Austria and The Netherlands. His enthusiasm for contemporary compositions and novel performance practices led to intensive personal collaboration with numerous renowned composers, such as Steve Reich, Peter Eötvös, Krzysztof Penderecki, Heinz Holliger, Wilfriend Hiller or Wim Hendrickx. In search of his own ideas to explore the related music, he is currently one of the first students to study the postgraduate course "Excellence in Performance" at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. In this way, he is building a bridge between performance and artistic research. In a series of projects, such as "Rhythm in Motion" and "Between Space and Sound", he opens up a new view of his artistic horizon. He received scholarships from the Deutsche Musikrat (2022), Mark Lothar Stiftung (2022) and the free state of Bavaria (2021). Since 2021, he is an official Kolberg Newcomer Artist.
Ensemble- and Orchestral concerts brought Daan to different concert venues all around the world including: the Musikverein (Austria), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Royal Albert Hall (London), Oriental Art Center (Shanghai), Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg) and Philharmonie de Paris (Paris). He regularly plays as an orchestral member with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian State Opera, Munich Radio Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Royal Flemish Opera and La Monnaie/de Munt (Brussels).