Deacon
About
Daniel J. Smith, performing under the moniker Deacon, is a visionary pop-rock opera artist whose music fuses the raw emotional power of rock, the melodic accessibility of pop, and the theatrical grandeur of operatic storytelling. With a commanding vocal presence and a flair for dramatic expression, Deacon creates immersive musical experiences that feel both cinematic and deeply personal.
DEbut Single
Destiny
UPCOMING
PERFORMANCE
PAST Performances
The Cartography Project is a new curatorial music program led by the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, and the Kennedy Center's Social Impact department. The Cartography Project is a multi-year commissioning project engaging artists from around the nation, with a focus on Black dignity. (FEB 2022)
Daniel J. Smith joins the Capitol Hill Choral June 2022
Steal Away arr by Dr. Roland Carter
“I Believe in Liberty For All Men”
“CREDO” In Memory of Abbie Mitchell and Langston Hughes
Text by W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963)
Margaret A. Bonds (1913-72)
Edited by John Michael Cooper
A New Path, the final concert of Capitol Hill Chorale's 2021-2022 season, is a concert of music by women composers and composers of color. The events of the past two years have brought much needed attention on underrepresented communities in so many areas, including the art of choral music. Artistic Director Frederick Binkholder has selected works including "Resignation" by Florence B. Price, "Credo" by Margaret Bonds and "Don’t You Let Nobody Turn You 'Round" by Lena McLin. Also featuring a pre-concert lecture by Musicologist Dr. Michael Cooper.
(2022)
Cantate Chamber Singers present two well-known works of musical Americana - Aaron Copand’s Old American Songs and Randall Thompson’s Frostiana - paired with moving pieces by Margaret Bonds, Joel Thompson, Carlos Simon, and more to take us on an aural journey through two sides of America, featuring Daniel J. Smith, baritone; Andrew Simpson on the piano; and Victoria Gau on the conductor's podium. (2023)
Composer/Page Turner - Ronald A. Walton Baritone: Daniel J. Smith Piano: Andre Leonard Film: Infinitude DC Sponsor of YAC and Recital - Cantate
The "Motherless Chile Suite" is a composition that delves into the themes of maternal separation and the profound emotional impact it leaves behind. The suite consists of four movements, each exploring different aspects of this complex and poignant experience.
(July 2024)
Unmasked:
Freedom in full color
Behind the scenes of Deacon’s first cabaret show, “Unmasked: Freedom in Full Color”
"Unmasking for me is living in your authenticity in whatever way that means for you. Being a gay black man from North Carolina, moving to DC was my unmasking process... I’ve never really said it to people out loud, but a lot of my childhood from middle school through college is a blur to me because I had to play a character, I had to be somebody I’m not. And then when I moved to DC and I was in an environment where I was forced to truly find myself, that’s when my unmasking process began - it just started this process of yeah, let me own it."
"A big part of my unmasking is that I live like this to be a light for others to live in the same way of just marching to the beat of your own drum. And I think that’s what authenticity is to me. It’s living by your own rules. That’s where these rules for this cabaret come from as well: the laws I live by as far as being myself."
-DEACON (2025)