Daniel Szefer, who is first-generation Polish American, graduated from the University of Calgary, where he studied under Prof. Krzysztof Jablonski. He received his Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at Northwestern University, where he was awarded program honors and studied under Prof. James Giles. 

During his time in Calgary, Szefer spent three years in Calgary Pro Musica’s Young Artist Development Program. As a member of the program, he has gone to elementary schools throughout the city, giving music education workshops and assemblies focusing on music literacy and appreciation. In February 2020, he performed Chopin’s Concerto No. 2 with the Calgary Philharmonic and Karl Hirzer for their PhilKids benefit concert. That same month, he was a quarterfinalist in the National Chopin Competition in Miami.

Most recently, Szefer was a semifinalist in the 67th Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition and was awarded the Szymanowski Prize for the best performance of a work by Karol Szymanowski. In 2022, he was a winner of the Evanston Music Club Scholarship Competition. 

Szefer has advocated for equitable access to music education and chose to pursue this further by becoming a 2023 corps member in Teach for America. Through TFA, he currently lives and works in Indianapolis.