Daniel Collins (b. 1996) is a sophomore at Boston University (BU), where he studies music composition and physics. He resides in Bushnell, IL, and is a recent graduate of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA). Daniel first became interested in composition during the fifth grade, after he began to play the clarinet. Later, he began taking piano lessons and eventually went on to study conducting. As a student at IMSA, he played significant roles in the school’s wind ensemble and symphony orchestra, as well as Aspiring Artists’ Sinfonia, a student-lead chamber orchestra which he conducted. Musically, his main areas of interests include composition, theory, and history. He is an avid proponent of lesser-known music from the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, especially works by composers Bernard Herrmann, William Walton, and Kurt Atterberg. Daniel’s compositions have been recognized at both the state and national levels. He is repeat winner of the Illinois Music Education Association’s All-State Composition Contest and was recognized in 2014 as one of only twelve winners in the National Association for Music Education’s Student Composers Contest. While at BU, he has actively promoted the performance of his own work, as well as that of his peers. He regularly performs at the composition department’s Student Composers’ Concerts, and his works have been read by ensembles such as the BU Symphony Orchestra, Dal Niente, and the JACK Quartet. In early 2016, he had the distinction of being the first freshman ever to participate in the ALEA III Young Composers Workshop. Last year, Daniel studied composition with Samuel Headrick, and this fall, he will be studying abroad at the Royal College of Music in London.