Daniel Orban

Biography

A native of the Washington, D.C. area, retired “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band Trumpeter Daniel Orban is a passionate soloist, arranger, and educator who has performed nationally and abroad. Dan’s musical career began in 1989 as Trumpeter, Cornetist with the United States Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, MD. In 1998, Dan joined the premier band of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band as a Trumpeter, Cornetist, where he served at the White House under former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

During his 30-year military career, Dan had the opportunity to perform with several highly acclaimed organizations within the Washington D.C. metro area, both as a representative of the U.S. Marine Band and as a civilian. Dan has performed with the National Symphony, Washington National Opera House, Baltimore Symphony, National Theater Orchestra, Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra, and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has soloed around the world with numerous orchestras and bands, including during “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band National Tours in 2001, 2015, and 2017, and during the band’s historic tour of Japan in 2019. Furthermore, Dan has performed with a variety of performing artists and musicians, including Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Wayne Newton, the Four Tops, Oakridge Boys, Toby Keith, Ricky Martin, the Temptations, and Kelly Clarkson. Dan has an extensive musical genre – Classical, Funk, Latin, etc. - with a passion for Big Band and Jazz.

As an educator, Dan maintained a private teaching studio and provided coaching to the DC Youth Orchestra Program, Montgomery Youth Orchestra, Salisbury State University Jazz Program, and the Key School in Annapolis, Maryland. In the Chamber world, Dan performed with a variety of orchestral, brass, and contemporary ensembles, including the Post-Classical Ensemble under the direction of Angel Gil-Ordoñez, and the Brass Band of Battle Creek under the direction of Mark Gould. Dan was also a founding member of his own ensemble, the Bayfield Brass Quintet, which remained active in the Annapolis, Maryland area for over thirty years.

In 2019, Dan moved to New Braunfels, Texas to enjoy his retirement from “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band. He has been warmly welcomed by many of the area's finest musicians, ensembles, and educational institutions. Recently, he has performed with the San Antonio Brass Band, Musicians of San Antonio Symphony, and "Jazz Texas." Dan frequently performs with the Jacob’s Masterworks and Pops Orchestra at its newest venue, Rady Shell at Jacob’s Park San Diego. Additionally, Dan has been a regular performer with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, Dan appears on The San Diego Symphony’s 2022 Apple Music release of Demitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 103 "The Year 1905" under the direction of Rafael Payare. In his free time, Dan enjoys spending time with his family and friends, playing video games, and building pools. Dan owned a pool service and repair business from 1988 through 2010, and recently designed and built his first pool in 2021.

Dan earned both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Maryland, where he studied under the private instruction of Dr. Emerson Head. Dan was the first trumpet performance major at the University of Maryland to win both Undergraduate and Graduate Homer Ulrich Solo Competitions. Furthermore, Dan’s Jazz and Contemporary Media education was heavily influenced by Bill Dobbins and Raymond Wright from the Eastman School of Music.