BIO

Daniel E. Wakefield is an American composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and church worship leader. His compositions commonly incorporate melodic motifs and tonal harmonic structures inspired by a variety of Romantic and postmodern composers such as Richard Wagner, Frédéric Chopin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Gustav Holst, Antonín Dvořák, Edvard Grieg, Aaron Copland, and Philip Glass. Wakefield's works utilize both orchestral and non-orchestral instrumentation, including various folk and experimental instruments, and range from pieces for solo piano to rock band, from electronic and film score to those for full band and orchestra.
As a film score composer, Wakefield often employs orchestral composition combined with folk, electronic, and experimental elements. He puts high value on paying close attention to the unspoken narrative in a movie and helping the director achieve her/his vision. John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Alexandre Desplat, and Hans Zimmer are a few of his heroes.
"I work hard for my pieces to be simple and accessible and memorable, while containing interest and intricacy and depth," says Wakefield. "It's a nice tension to attempt to hold. Ultimately, I hope that people are moved by my music - that it touches them deeply and moves them closer to the Divine."
Wakefield holds a Masters in Music Composition from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Bachelors in Music from Colorado Christian University. He works as a freelance film composer, songwriter, orchestrator, and producer; an itinerant worship leader; and an affiliate professor of music at Colorado Christian University.
Wakefield makes his home in Greeley, Colorado and works there from his studio JONOLUMA. He has been married to his wife Mariana for 18 years and has three growing boys, and a toy golden doodle named Spock.