“I love playing chamber music so I was very happy to discover the chamber series through DCCM.”

Daniel Wasse, Piano

TEACHER — PIANO, 5TH and 6TH GRADES, BALTIMORE, MD
FROM SEATTLE, WA

Hailing from Baltimore, you are one of our more physically distant members. What led you to join both the orchestra and our chamber series and how did you find us?
Being new to this area I began trying to connect with musicians and in the process connected with Bob Myers, the Executive Director, and the DC Concert Orchestra. I love playing chamber music so I was very happy to discover the chamber series through DCCM.

I understand you are a piano teacher. How long have you been doing this and what do you enjoy most about it? Do you teach students of all ages?
I’ve been teaching for 20 years. I love being able to teach students to really hear music. I’ve taught all ages. At the moment my oldest student is a 70 year old, semi-retired neurosurgeon and my youngest is in 3rd grade.

In addition to teaching piano, you are also an assistant teacher and STEM facilitator at the Village Learning Place. What types of programs do you teach and what makes this impactful for both you and your community?
I’ve taught 5th and 6th grade this last year, STEM for PreK – 6th grade and an Engineering SABES (Stem Achievement in Baltimore Elementary Schools) course through John Hopkins for 5th and 6th grade. Impact? I would hope our community impact would be in building relationships, being a safe space, nurturing curiosity and facilitating opportunities to grow for our students.

You and your wife are also aspiring restauranteurs. Tell us about your activities, and what are some of your favorite dishes?
My wife and I started a company a little over a year ago. We have done catering, pop ups at several businesses and Farmers Markets in Baltimore. You can currently catch us at the Waverly Farmers Market on most Saturday mornings from 7:00am – 12pm. We serve Ethiopian vegan food and the name of our business is Korarima LLC. Favorite dishes? Shiro and Messir Wat are probably my favorite dishes currently on our menu. We don’t have a restaurant space as of yet. We are waiting for COVID-19 to abate a bit before thinking about taking on that challenge. Follow us on Instagram!

“My wife and I started a company a little over a year ago. We serve Ethiopian vegan food and the name of our business is Korarima LLC.”

What have you gained by participating in DCCOS programs?
DCCOS has done a good job of including relatively new and rarely played music in the orchestra programming. I’ve enjoyed that. I also am grateful for being introduced to Florence Price’s music last season.