Composing

Lions of Al Manara

Performed by Adrian Anantawan, taken from his stand at a concert in Palestine, right after the final call to prayer. Composed in honor of my friends and colleagues at Al Kamandjati Music School, and inspired by the four lion statues in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. This piece depicts an imagined scene of the stone lions coming to life and joyfully racing through the city's hills and surrounding olive groves.

"What We Will Be" Virtual Premier

Original composition "What We Will be" was selected for the El Sistema USA National Seminario and Gala this year. More than 100 students from across the USA performed the piece.

Delfines: Argentinian Zamba

Composed as a part of the Teach to Learn Fellowship 2020, this piece uses the surreal text by Argentinian poet Silvina Ocampo in her poem "Delfines" or, in English, "Dolphins." This project served as a musical exploration into the Argentinian style of Zamba and was performed by Danielle, Ari Pluznik on guitar, and Rodolfo Escalona. Video was filmed in Baltimore Harbor, Maryland USA.

Source of Information

This piece was created in April, 2020 as a part of the United Nations Global Call Out To Creatives to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Wicked Spirits

Boston, USA: Composed for the organization Shelter Music, this piece incorporates musical themes and text composed by homeless shelter residents in a collaborative composition project facilitated by Shelter Music Boston. One of the project participants wrote, "Music keeps the wicked spirits in line," which became the motivic and artistic inspiration for the piece. "Wicked Spirits" was composed for and performed by SMB Founder, Julie Davis.

Release

Boston, USA: Composed for the organization Shelter Music, this piece uses a beautiful text written by a homeless shelter resident in response to hearing a live music performance by Shelter Music musicians.

Nuit Etoilee, Blue des Sables

Tunis, Tunisia: This story, told through music, Arabic and French poetry, featured the projected art by Colette Albiolo and music and dance professors at the Tunis Institute of Higher Studies. The poem, written by Albiolo, led the audience through a brilliantly colorful journey of a weary traveler through the desert and into a mysterious Arabian citadel.

Video courtesy of Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

El sistema Composition Competition Winner:
"What We Will Be"

Premiered at the 2015 Boston El Sistema Showcase: Selected as the winner of the 2015 El Sistema Massachusetts Composition Competition, the piece begins as if at the start of a concert when the orchestra members are tuning. The single note soon blossoms into harmony, out of which a rhythmic motive appears. The choral moments pose a philosophical question: where will music take us? How will education and musical experiences shape the lives of these children?

Treasure of the Sleepy Dragon

Boston, USA: The Treasure of the Sleepy Dragon presented a spectacular multimedia story bursting with original music, art, dance, and song! This multidimensional musical collaboration featured the vibrant artwork of Colette Albiolo, Josiah Quincy Orchestra, Dance Ensemble, and Choir. Together, they premiered a musical story which was written by Josiah Quincy students and composer Danielle Williams. The Josiah Quincy music program is inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan curriculum that uses music education as a vehicle for social change.

Video by Dave Jamrog

Original songs

Click Here to hear three collections of original indie-folk style songs composed over the past five years. Written, performed, and sung by Danielle in Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and English, these songs cover a range of emotions from travels and meditations. Her latest creation "Songs of Palestine" are in honor of her students, colleagues, and friends from the Al Kamandjati Music School in Ramallah, Palestine.

Ndoto

Arusha, Tanzania: Ndoto, the Swahili word for 'Dream', was an novel collaborative project with visual artist Colette Albiolo, composer Danielle Williams, choreographer Tiana Rozencwajg, and the Umoja Music School teachers. This tells the story of a group of Maasai children who fall asleep and dream that they are transformed into tiny ants!

Moyo Wango

Childrens Song
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Umoja Ensemble

Bienmoyo is an organization working in Tanzania to educate citizens on the importance of health and strong hearts. To see more, visit their website: http://bienmoyo.org/services/ncd/