B IO G R A P H Y : D a n i e l V a l d e z
Daniel Valdez, composer, musician, singer and actor, left home at the age of 17 to join his brother
Luis, in Delano, to fight for the unjust treatment of farm workers. It was in January of 1966, that
Daniel left San Jose to join Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers Union. On the picket
lines, Valdez learned to do Teatro (theater) and incorporate his music to bring the message of
the UFW to the worker. As one of the founding members of El Teatro Campesino, Daniel has
been seen in many Teatro productions, including the Chicano film classic Zoot Suit, for which he
wrote original music and arranged all of the classic 1940s Big Band music. In 1987 Daniel
realized a 13-year dream when the life story of Ritchie Valens was brought to the silver
screen in the movie La Bamba. Both of these films were written and directed by Luis Valdez,
Daniel’s brother. Daniel has also been seen in other roles in feature films such as Which Way Is
Up? Starring Richard Pryor and the China syndrome with Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and
Michael Douglas. He also appeared in Cheech Marin’s Born in East L.A., and also composed
feature music for the Tijuana Conjunto.
In 1998, it marked the 25th anniversary of the recording of the first Chicano album by a
major label, A&M Records, Mestizo. This was Valdez’s first solo album and it propelled him
into the world of concert performer. He has performed with many musical artists. He was the
romantic lead opposite Linda Ronstadt in her stage production of Canciones de Mi Padre. He
has also worked and performed with other musical artists, such as: Carlos Santana, Jerry
Garcia, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, and Tito Puente, in the critically acclaimed CineMax
special Latin Sessions.
In 1996, Valdez composed the original score for the IMAX film entitled Mexico. This
45-minute IMAX film traced 3000 years of Mexico’s history beginning at the height of the
Mayan civilization through the conquest and ending in the present. It enjoyed a successful run at
the IMAX Theater in Tijuana and at the IMAX Theater in Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park. It
has been named one of the top 15 IMAX films in the world.
In September of 1997, Valdez worked with the San Diego Repertory Theater and
Southwestern College as a musical consultant and historical expert for the re-staging of the Luis
Valdez play Zoot Suit. This was the first revival of this classic since its creation 20 years before.
This began a long collaboration with William Virchis, who directed the play. Also in the June of
2000 he reprised his role as musical director at the Goodman Theater in Chicago for their
production of Zoot Suit. It played to sell out houses and great reviews.
In the spring of 2000, Valdez co-starred in the musical Selena Forever, directed by
Virchis, which portrays the slain, young Tejana’s life. It toured through Texas and Daniel gave
his final performance in Chicago.
In the summer of 2002, Valdez was again called by William Virchis to come to Chula Vista and
mentor and costar in a musical written by two brothers, Charles and Luis Aragon entitled
Elena. It is the story of a young Chicana in the 1940s who wanted to become a writer. The
project was part of a summer musical theater program sponsored by the Visual and Performing
Arts program of the Sweetwater Union High School district. Valdez played the role of the
father, while sharing his knowledge as an actor with the aspiring young actors.
In January of 2003, Valdez began a 10-week, winter quarter residency, at Stanford
University in Palo Alto, CA. He taught Theater in a rare course where students had the
opportunity to create work that tells their stories through visual and performing arts.
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Mr. Valdez chose to stage Ollin an original epic poem, based on the Conquest of
Mexico. It was a musical performance piece told in an ancient style of mythical story telling.
Valdez wrote new music and songs to which he added spoken word, dance and the use of
masks. The premiere performance of Ollin was at Stanford.
In December of 2004, Valdez premiered The Westside Oratorio on a grant from the
Continental Harmony group, sponsored by the American Composers Forum. It was a musical
piece on Denver Colorado’s Westside, which was a barrio of diverse cultures in the settling of
Denver. The families who had lived there for generations were displaced and their history was
almost lost with the building of the Auraria Campus. This was Valdez’s most ambitious project to
date. The show had 13 original songs performed by a chorus, telling the story of seven
generations of Denver history.
The show was a great success and was restaged in December 2005 to sold-out houses and
great critical acclaim. Valdez was given an Ovation Award for the best original musical
score, by the Denver Post for his work on the Oratorio.
Valdez and Anthony Garcia, Director, of Su Teatro in Denver, CO, premiered their
collaboration of the musical play entitled El Sol Que Tu Eres on October 1 in 2005 for a six
week run of sold-out houses. The play is based on the Greek Orpheus myth. The play is set in
Mexico on Dia de Los Muertos, in the present and it incorporates our own Mayan myths. This
project began as a joint venture funded by the National Performance Network, with Su Teatro,
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio, TX, Xicanindio Artes in Phoenix, AZ; and La
Peña Cultural Center in Berkley, CA. El Sol Que Tu Eres premiered at the Denver campus of the
University of Colorado in the Eugenia Rawls Courtyard Theater. Valdez was also given a visiting
professorship at UCD, teaching classes in theater, music and musical scoring and film for the
fall quarter.
While in Denver, Valdez also had the pleasure of writing original music for the
critically acclaimed Jose Cruz Gonzales play entitled September Shoes, directed by Amy
Gonzales at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
In December of 2006, Valdez was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane
letters by the University of Colorado at Denver for his many years of experience in the fields
of music, theater, and film.
Along with Valdez’s list of stage, film and musical credits, he has always worked with
community organizations and schools as a positive role model for Hispanic youth, with special
guest lectures, performances, workshops and benefits for these organizations.