Daniel R. Afonso Jr. has served as conductor of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus since its foundation in 2001. He has prepared the ensemble for performances of the best-known works for chorus and orchestra, from Bach’s cantatas to Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Afonso is also the Coordinator of Vocal and Choral Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. He received a B.M.E. degree from the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI -Rio), a M.M. degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a D.M.A. degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. Dr. Afonso is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has studied conducting with Carlos Alberto Figueiredo, Cees Rotteveel, Eph Ehly, and William Hatcher.

Afonso has performed with choral groups in Brazil, the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and has previously taught music at the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, Universidade do Rio de Janeiro, and Doane College. In 1988, he won the first prize and the best performance of Villa-Lobos work award at the Concurso Villa-Lobos de Canto Coral, a national choral competition sponsored by the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. More recently, in 2020, he received the John Swain College & University Educator Award from the California Music Educators Association. Dr. Afonso is strongly committed to the performance of new music and has commissioned and premiered many new choral works, including several of his own works as well as works by young composers and composition students.  He made his New York debut in 2012, conducting Mozart’s Requiem with members of the MSO Chorus and students from CSU Stanislaus at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

He is also a composer, arranger, and editor of choral music and has choral works published by Alliance Music Publications, Carl Fischer, earthsongs, Hal Leonard, La Voz, and others. He has written works for the Los Angeles Children’s Choir, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bach Choir, and other ensembles in the US and abroad, including a commission for the 2023 American Choral Directors Association National Conference. He has written innumerous arrangements for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, including a new version of The Star-Spangled Banner for chorus and orchestra, premiered at the opening concert for the 2015-16 concert season. Dr. Afonso is widely recognized for his research and performance of Brazilian choral music and continues to frequently present workshops and lectures about the Latin American choral repertoire around the world.