Meet Dan Weiss | Artistic Director & Bassoonist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Weiss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
Most people think that the go-to ensemble to hire for weddings and events for that “classical music” feel is a string quartet. That’s what everyone sees in the movies, and they are predominately the group of choice that people hire to provide music. But there are many other types of classical ensembles that do a really amazing job and provide a unique experience when hired to provide live music. Our wind quintet is one of them – and we absolutely love it when our clients want something a bit different in their musical approach while still getting that charm, the ambiance, and the magic that is live music at their celebrations. The Left Coast Quintet in particular has been structured to not only provide the traditional Classical/Baroque musical stylings of the historic wind quintets that were common in royal palaces of Europe in the 1700/1800s, but we have built out our library to include amazing covers of pop music, cinema soundtracks, jazz, Broadway, and so much more that just brings a smile to everyone’s faces. I wish more people who were getting married or hiring live musicians for their events would think a little outside of the box and look at other ensembles besides the traditional string groups.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been involved in music since I was a young child, taking piano lessons and guitar lessons privately, and learning recorder and percussion in elementary school. In 6th grade, I picked up a bassoon which was really the instrument I was made for, and I’ve been performing primarily on bassoon now for the last 30 or so years. Professionally, I am a freelance bassoonist around San Diego and southern CA, performing with symphonic groups, stage production orchestra’s, and other ensembles. As a freelancer, sometimes you have a gig, and sometimes you go a long time without anything, and I wanted to guarantee that I could perform whenever I wanted. I saw a gap in what was offered in San Diego for people to hire for live events, so I started a group in 2014 called the Left Coast Quintet. We are a traditional wind quintet, but we perform pretty unconventional music for our type of ensemble, and have created a library of music that clients and guests love listening to at weddings, events, holiday parties, and more. It includes covers of pop music by the likes of the Beatles, Elvis, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and more; movie soundtracks from big and small Hollywood hits; Broadway themes from RENT, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and more; and of course we have traditional classical, jazz, and more to choose from depending on the event or the preferences of either the clients or ourselves as to what we want to play.

We are the only wind quintet that I know of in Southern California that actively solicits for bookings for events, weddings, and other types of similar celebrations. We also do public concerts and civic events in the area.

Forming the group was not difficult – I know most of the local classical musicians in San Diego from performing alongside them with orchestra or other gigs. The most difficult part has been and continues to be marketing the group. I have a background in architecture/city planning and emergency services, along with music, so I never took any marketing types of coursework in college. I’ve had to learn how to build and maintain a website, leverage connections, increase SEO, and so much more that I never thought I would have to

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
San Diego has so many amazing places that it is hard to pick just a few, but in my 20+ years of living here, I think I’ve discovered some of the best. Getting to see the sights of the area takes a couple of days, starting with a driving tour up to Mt. Soledad where you can get a 360 degree view of the entire region on a sunny day. It is easy to point out landmarks and viewpoints from up there that we will hit later on, and it give a first impression on how San Diego land use works and how the city is laid out.

From there, heading towards downtown through La Jolla, Pacific & Mission Beach, Mission Bay, and OB and Point Loma offer so many places to stop for a snack or lunch and check out the local spots. The beaches and the bay of course are great places to stop and get out of the car to walk around and explore. A ride at Belmont Park on the old coaster is a blast, or talking a walk around Fiesta Island with all the dogs is a great way to spend an hour.

I think an entire day can be devoted to Balboa Park and all of the museums, the zoo, performances, and the little hiding spots and secret groves in the park. The Japanese Friendship Garden is one of my favorites. The little cafe above the model train museum is a great place to recharge.

San Diego has so many options for food, but I love going to Liberty Station and hitting up the Public Market. People can get a tasting of so many different restaurants there, or for a more sit down meal can go to Stone Brewery, Corvette Diner, The Presley, or Slaters (and I know there are more restaurants too). Liberty Station also has some great museums and art studios to check out.

Heading out to East County is awesome, there is a ton of hiking around Ramona and Alpine, and spending a half day in Julian is really special. Got to stop and get some pie at any of the bakeries there, and I really love the Julian Beer Company for BBQ.

There are many other amazing attractions like the Midway Museum and Safari Park that I’d definitely hit up with guests as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The amazing musicians that make up LCQ are some of the best people in the music business in San Diego. Our core group is RB Anthony, April Leslie, Erica Gamble, and Jenny Shippee, and we often also have Sierra Johnson, Andrew Young, and Jim George join us for certain shows. These people are not only consummate musical professionals, they are also funny, inspiring, and down to earth friends who I find a lot of joy performing with.

Website: www.leftcoastquintet.com

Instagram: @leftcoastquintet

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandiegobassoon/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/leftcoastquintet

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/left-coast-quintet-san-diego-5

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZuJEek8Ebmz9gzzwLKYczw