Hailing from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Daniel Jaggars is a conductor dedicated to building community through music.  Daniel recently earned his Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from Michigan State University, where he served as a graduate assistant. Under the mentorship of Octavio Más-Arocas and Katherine Kilburn, he worked extensively with the MSU Symphony Orchestra and Concert Orchestra. In 2026, he led the MSU Opera Theatre in a double bill featuring Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Rossini’s La cambiale di matrimonio. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Daniel is committed to championing new voices and expanding the orchestral repertoire. Through the Sam and Mary Austin New Music Fund, he has collaborated with numerous
composers on several premieres and has also worked with the Musique 21 Contemporary Ensemble.

A recipient of the New York Youth Symphony’s David Alan Miller Fellowship, Daniel joins the Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor under the leadership of Music Director Andrew Kim beginning in the 2026–27 season. Deeply committed
to music education and mentorship, he looks forward to his role supporting NYYS musicians as well as the conductors of the Robert L. Poster Apprentice Conducting Program.  Prior to his graduate studies, Daniel studied conducting with Miguel Harth-Bedoya
and attended several sessions of The Conducting Institute in Fort Worth, Texas. He also studied clarinet in the studio of Richard Faria at Ithaca College. He is immensely grateful for the numerous people who have made his journey in music
possible.