Daniel Volovets is a guitarist, composer, and arranger concentrating on classical, flamenco, Brazilian, and jazz music.  Although born in the United States, his music is informed and complemented first and foremost by his Russian heritage.  Fittingly, he began his studies with Russian classical guitarist Anatoly Shapiro at age 7.  Anatoly exposed him not only to the standard Segovian repertoire, but also to a plethora of Russian and Brazilian composers, such as Alexander Ivanov-Kramskoi and Heitor Villa-Lobos.  Anatoly also focused on the art of arranging in his lessons with Daniel, sharing his vast knowledge of arranging pieces for guitar as both solos or accompaniment.  At 11, he dove into the world of Brazilian jazz and Spanish flamenco with Tony Hauser.  Tony, a musician who is extremely well-rounded and proficient in numerous styles, did not focus solely on the aforementioned genres in his lessons with Daniel.  Instead, he refined and broadened Daniel's musical palette by exposing him to composers and ideas that would prove crucial in his musical development.  Daniel has also studied flamenco with "El Payo" Humberto Wilkes, Nino Ricardo's official biographer, focusing particularly on cante accompaniment.

Today, Daniel performs regularly throughout the Twin Cities, with notable appearances including an interview on KFAI Radio, a concert as part of the "Global Guitar" Minnesota Guitar Society series, and a slot at the 2010 Flamenco Guitarathon.  He has also been hired by numerous companies, such as 3M, Cargill Inc., and Bachman's for corporate events.  As well as performing as a soloist, he has also performed with his brother Adrian Volovets (flute, soprano/tenor saxophone, violin), famed Russian singer Nataliya Ishkova, bassist Noah Dalluge, and jazz guitarist Geoff Lecrone.  Additionally, Daniel has participated in the guitar ensembles at the University of Minnesota (led by Jeffrey Van) and the University of St. Thomas from 2008-2010.  Daniel's repertoire consists of pieces that run the gamut from classical to original compositions, which are influenced by the many genres he has studied.  As a composer, Daniel has written works for both solo guitar and multi-instrument ensembles.  His three main CD releases each contain at least one original composition, beginning with Longing from Watercolors of the World, a ballad with a distinctly Russian sensibility, and ending with Beautiful, But Why?  from Rite of Passage, a neo-classical tremolo piece with jazz harmonies.  Daniel is also available for commissions and has penned the soundtrack for a yet-to-be-released animated feature.  Daniel studies at the University of St. Thomas and is currently in his second year as a neuroscience major.  He aspires to balance careers in medicine and music, inspired by the American jazz pianist/clinic psychiatrist Denny Zeitlin and Polish composer/otolaryngology physician Krzysztof Komeda.

He has recorded four CDs: Melodias Brasileiras (out of print), Watercolors of the World, Silhouette, and Rite of Passage.  He is currently working on a new CD, Rainy Highway, which is set to be released in 2012.  Daniel plays a Stephen Kakos 1988 classical guitar, a Yamaha CG171SF flamenco guitar, and an Epiphone ES-175 jazz guitar.