Keynote Speaker Multifaceted instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and composer, UW-Stevens Point alumnus Danny Mitchell has never met a musical genre he didn’t like—and successfully embrace. Well-versed in pop, jazz, country, and classical, Danny has made a name for himself within the industry as a go-to solo and collaborative performer and writer. Currently he brings his talents to bear as keyboardist, bandleader and vocalist with multiplatinum recording artist Miranda Lambert. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Danny moved to Nashville shortly after earning his bachelor’s degree in jazz piano and composition from UWSP. Since then, he has worked steadily as a freelance musician in and around Nashville, and across the country. Solo career highlights include being a featured
Danny Mitchell
performer at the Bluebird Café and on Home by Dark’s “A Song Can Change Your Life” series broadcast, among others. He has performed at venues such as Chicago’s House of Blues, Hollywood’s Hotel Café, and Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry. Danny’s warm baritone and smooth vocal delivery are evocative of crooners such as Harry Connick Jr. and Jamie Cullum. The influence of Bruce Hornsby, Elton John and Marc Cohn can be heard in his songwriting style and piano technique. As a sideman, Danny has performed on records and stages with the likes of Anderson East, Kim Richey, and Mindy Smith among others. As a composer and arranger, Danny’s work runs the gamut from small chamber pieces to full symphonic works. His “Dawning of a Soul” has been performed by the National Wind Ensemble in New York City’s Carnegie Hall under the direction of H. Robert Reynolds. In 2021, Danny was commissioned by the University of Wisconsin to compose a piece of music that reflected the hardship we experienced during the pandemic of 2020 and beyond. “From the Depths We Rise” received its world premiere by the UW-Madison wind ensemble under the direction of Scott Teeple in April 2022. Mitchell is also the creator of Music on a Mission, an annual holiday concert to raise funds for local charities in his hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The twelfth-annual event was held last night.
Photo credit: John R. Hartman Contemporary Photography
Winter 2024 Commencement 4
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