About Daniel Lelchuk
Described by The Washington Post as a “dazzling virtuoso,” Daniel Lelchuk is renowned worldwide as both cellist and communicator. He has performed at numerous international festivals including those of Aspen, Baden-Baden, Hawaii, Colorado, Minnesota Lakes Area, Silicon Valley, and Salzburg. He has served as guest cellist of the Qatar Philharmonic, guest first cellist of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco, cellist of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería (Mexico City) and first cellist of the Royal Opera House Muscat (Oman). He served a decade-long successful tenure as Associate Principal Cellist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the New Orleans Opera Association, appointed by Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto. At the invitation of Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi, he presented a series of solo cello recitals at the famed Villa Aurora, Rome.
Lelchuk served from 2010-2014 as principal cellist of the Castleton Festival under Maestro Lorin Maazel, where he performed to acclaim major solos from the operatic and symphonic repertoire, most notably Verdi’s Otello. Since 2016 he has served as first cellist of the New York-based Salomé Chamber Orchestra and makes regular international tours with David Aaron Carpenter and the Ensemble.
Also an accomplished administrator, in 2023, Lelchuk founded the Festival de Música de Cámara Antigua (Antigua Chamber Music Festival), the first ever fully-fledged chamber music festival in Guatemala. In his capacity as Artistic Director, he has brought world-class musicians to the historic cultural capital city of Antigua to present chamber concerts each Winter to great acclaim.
Daniel Lelchuk is a founding member of the Castleton Chamber Players with violinist Eric Silberger, where they present chamber music in the jewel box Theatre House designed and built by Maestro Maazel. In these concerts they are regularly joined by world-class musicians such as Orion Weiss, Michelle DeYoung, and Paul Groves.
Always forward-looking to the future of music, Lelchuk designed and built the cello platform at tonebase, the premier online music education company, where he served as the Lead of Cello Content. In addition to designing all content for the cello platform, he hosted regular livestreams broadcast worldwide and managed a community of thousands of passionate, diverse cellists from every corner of the globe.
A noted voice on cultural issues, Lelchuk’s writing has been published in major outlets such as The Bulwark (where he is contributing writer), Quillette, and The Forward. Whether extolling the approachability and egalitarianism of classical music or highlighting specific works of Puccini for readers to get to know, his writings open doors for a wide audience of people interested in music, from casual listeners to devoted aficionados.
In addition to his busy concert schedule, Daniel Lelchuk leads a rich speaking life behind the microphone. He was the popular and frequent guest host of The Food Show on WWL radio where he interviewed celebrity chefs and welcomed callers from all over the country live on-air. He is the creator and host of the popular podcast regularly heard in more than seventy countries Talking Beats with Daniel Lelchuk, where he engages the world's leading cultural figures and thinkers in spirited, in-depth conversation. Guests include Walter Isaacson, Linda Ronstadt, Ambassador Michael McFaul, Mike Espy, Nicholas Christakis, General H.R. McMaster, Michael Walzer, John McWhorter, David Frum, Jacques Pépin, Petula Clark, Moshe Safdie, Amy Tan, Richard Haass, and Wynonna Judd.
On public radio WWNO New Orleans, Mr. Lelchuk created the LPO Radio Hour, where he takes listeners on a highly curated weekly tour of great orchestral, chamber, and operatic music, for which he provides frank commentary, behind the scenes look at concert life, and context so the brand-new listener instantly feels at home.
An avid road cyclist, Daniel Lelchuk spends as much time as he can on two wheels.
