Composer and conductor Boyd Eagle Piatote, Maestro Daniel Hege's paternal grandfather.
On October 14, 2024, we celebrated both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. This dual celebration offers all Americans the chance to reflect on the remarkable contributions made to our nation by people of diverse cultures. Both the bold spirit of exploration that led Columbus to discover the Americas and the cultural vibrancy and stewardship of the land's first peoples have made this country what it is today.
At the Binghamton Philharmonic, we are also proud of the significant cultural contributions of our Music Director, Maestro Daniel Hege. Maestro Hege is wal'wáma, a citizen of the Chief Joseph Band of Nez Perce, and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. We recently sat down to chat with Maestro Hege about what his ancestry and tribal citizenship mean to him.
Q. Can you share the ways that your Native ancestry informs your musical identity?
Maestro Daniel Hege: My strongest connection between my Native ancestry and my musical work is the bond that I formed with my Grandfather Eagle, my mother’s father, who was a full-blood Nez Perce Native American. I got to know him when I was a young boy and also spent time with him after college. I was always aware of his gifts for music. He was a jazz player and a composer, and also conducted during his years of military service in the 1920s and 1930s.
Q. Did any of your early experiences as a Tribal citizen include music?
MDH: I attended Powwows at a nearby reservation growing up. I've always felt a primal connection to the music and the rhythms that we celebrate as Native Americans.
Q. Have you faced any challenges as a conductor owing to your ancestry and/or culture? If so, how did you work through them?
MDH: I have been very fortunate not to have faced significant challenges owing directly to my heritage. Then again, it's something I've only begun speaking about over the past few years. Although I am very proud to be a Nez Perce Native American, I wasn't one to draw attention to it. That said, people often pieced it together because of my appearance.
Q. What advice would you give to young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds who aspire to become conductors?
MDH: Even now, if you don't fit the stereotype of what most people look like in the classical music industry, you have to be that much better to assuage any doubts about your abilities. Any aspiring conductor needs great self-discipline, as well as a burning curiosity to search for knowledge and experience. There is no shortcut to the hard work and lonely hours of learning a musical score.
Q. What music do you most love to conduct? Is there any composer or piece that speaks to your Native ancestry?
MDH: I enjoy a very wide range of music, from classical to some pop and rock to jazz and other types of world music. I love the great music of the past, as well as the music of many living composers. There are some Native American composers writing for orchestras right now whose music I’m very interested in. My Grandfather Eagle also wrote a short orchestral work called “Caprice” that I would love to conduct one day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, Maestro! The Binghamton Philharmonic is fortunate to be led by a world-class conductor who continually urges our orchestra onward to new heights. We are grateful for today's opportunity to honor your illustrious heritage!