Simon Daum
Simon Daum, is a 37-year-old (23 June 1980) classical pianist, composer, and orchestrator from Buchenbach, Germany. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and currently resides in Kirchzarten, Germany.
Simon grew up in a musically inclined family, and so it was not a big surprise that as soon as he learned to walk, he headed straight for the piano. His parents recall that by the age of three, he was already attempting to compose his own music.
When he was about eight years old, his parents decided that it would be a good idea to have him start taking piano lessons. Unfortunately, his interest in composing his own music was so great that he quickly became bored with “just playing what other composers wrote.” After a couple of years, his parents decided to have him take lessons in learning to play the trumpet instead. However, he soon became bored with that as well.
When Simon was about 11 years old, he discovered the music of American pianist and composer Jon Schmidt who is best known today as a member of The Piano Guys. Jon’s music, and ultimately, his friendship, had a tremendous influence on Simon, solidifying his desire to become a full-time musician.
When he started recording music, his true passion was writing piano solo music. In time, he soon discovered that he also had a great interest and joy in orchestrating music. So, amongst his compositions you will find a variety of music ranging from piano solos to emotional soundtracks to epic music. Though he enjoys the challenge of writing new styles of music, most of his music still focuses on the inspiring sound of the piano.
Another composer who has influenced Simon’s music is Thomas Newman. Simon feels that the music of Thomas Newman is both emotional and authentic. He also appreciates Newman’s music because as he expresses it, “[Newman] is able to create such an expressive music by ‘simple’ means, something refreshing in times where the ‘best music’ is mostly defined by its loudness and fatness.”
To date Simon Daum has released eight albums. His latest release is titled Of One Heart (2018). His music has been compared to well-known composers like Thomas Newman, Ludovico Einaudi, Yann Tiersen, and Jon Schmidt. He says, “To me, there is no greater joy in life than to make a difference for the good. Music is such a wonderful tool to make such positive differences in this world.”
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