Daniel Nazareth was an Austrian conductor and composer of Indian origin, born on June 8, 1948, in Bombay. He began violin lessons at age seven and earned an economics degree in 1968 before studying music theory and conducting in Vienna, graduating with honors in 1975. His international breakthrough arrived in 1974 when he won the Nikolai Malko Competition in Copenhagen. Nazareth held notable roles throughout his career, including serving as music director of the summer festival in the Arena di Verona and chief conductor of the MDR Sinfonieorchester in Leipzig from 1992 to 1996. He collaborated with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Orchestre de Paris. His compositions include the 2001 work Moksha for string orchestra and the 2009 Evolutionssinfonie. In 2011, he was appointed chief conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica. Nazareth died on June 19, 2014, in Vienna following a liver transplant.
