Dan Galat

Dan Galat is a Chicago-based violinist and violist, a classically trained performer comfortable across a wide range of styles and techniques. Working primarily with living composers, Dan can be found with Chicago new music ensembles such as Fulcrum Point New Music or as the concertmaster of Chicago Composers Orchestra. Dan Galat is the founding member of Missing Piece with cellist Kelly Quesada. Missing Piece is a Chicago music ensemble who endeavors to commission new musical works and works from other artistic disciplines on themes that inspire others to connect with their community, care for our environment, listen deeply to ourselves and others, and speak out against injustice. Missing Piece has commissioned and premiered twenty one new works from composers from national, international, and Chicago-based composers.

Dan Galat is active across a variety of styles, including Baroque music with the Bach Cantata Vespers, or as a recording musician, recently with Manuel Cinema in their short film Future Feeling. Dan was the violinist, violist, and backup vocalist for the 24 show premiere in Chicago of Illinoise, the adaptation of Sufjan Stevens album into a musical now on Broadway. Dan has freelanced with many orchestras including Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic (concertmaster). Dan received his BM and MM at Indiana University, studying with Kevork Mardirossian, Desiree Ruhstrat, and Joseph Swensen. 

Dan Galat has been teaching violin and viola for twenty years, most recently as orchestra director at Urban Prairie Waldorf School. Dan is excited to join the faculty at the Merit School of Music.