Alumni Find Classical Music Stuffy? This Alum Plays a Different Tune Stories You May Like What’s the Most Iconic Cornell Tradition? Vote in the Final Four! Hospitality Sweet: Hotel Ezra Cornell Celebrates a Century Big Red at the Big Game Also a Juilliard grad, Daniel Anastasio ’11 shows his tens of thousands of social media followers why the genre is for everyone By Melissa Newcomb Sit quietly in a large, ornate recital hall and don’t clap between movements. Know your Beethoven from your Bach—and be sure to brush up on your Italian, French, and German. These types of high-minded mandates are why many people find classical music intimidating, says Daniel Anastasio ’11. As a professional pianist with a doctorate in musical arts, Anastasio might seem like just the kind of person who could make the genre feel even more unwelcoming. Instead, he has made it his mission to do the opposite. Through social media videos and live performances around the country, Anastasio breaks down classical music for new and casual listeners—explaining what they’re hearing, why it sounds the way it does, and what makes centuries-old compositions worth listening to today. “People more than anything just need to be educated—not in a didactic way, not being talked down to,” says Anastasio, who has upwards of 81,000 followers on Instagram and more than 35,000 on TikTok, plus nearly 24,000 subscribers on YouTube. “Just a little explanation and a little playing will show how immediately accessible and moving this music can be for anyone.” Anastasio’s social media efforts began in earnest in June 2025, when he uploaded a video to Instagram every day for a week showcasing some of his favorite techniques—for example, laying a pearl necklace over piano strings to create a sound similar to a Middle Eastern instrument. Performing with his chamber music group, Agarita. Soon, he was making videos that paired performance with explanation, breaking down classical pieces and bringing attention to the details that shape how the music sounds and feels, all within a few minutes. As he observes in one video, while softly playing Debussy’s famed “Clair de Lune”: “It’s easy to underestimate this piece because we could easily just think of this as a romantic piece, a moonlit scene with two lovers. But if we think of Paul Verlaine’s poem by the same name that inspired this piece, then we might think of a dancer who is celebrating all of life, all of its joys, but also all of its sorrows and mysteries.” Just a little explanation and a little playing will show how immediately accessible and moving this music can be for anyone. As he continues playing, Anastasio draws attention to the arrival of a low note beneath the delicate, higher notes of the melody. “Here’s our first bass note, finally,” he says, striking the key. “That’s Debussy bringing us back down to Earth after we’ve been in the clouds.” In addition to his social media work, Anastasio co-hosts the podcast Daniel and Isabel Save Classical Music with a Juilliard-trained violist turned stand-up comedian. The tongue-in-cheek program uses classical music as a jumping-off point for conversations about art, culture, and philosophy. At practice during his days on the Hill ... Stories You May Like What’s the Most Iconic Cornell Tradition? Vote in the Final Four! Hospitality Sweet: Hotel Ezra Cornell Celebrates a Century ... and in Bailey Hall with Leon Fleisher, a world-renowned pianist and conductor. Anastasio also takes his approach on the road, traveling around the country for events that combine performance with commentary and demonstrations. He talks audiences through the music as he plays and ends each show with a question-and-answer session. As he observes of the classical world: “There’s a whole history that is silly to just expect the average person to know about.” Anastasio also takes his approach on the road, traveling around the country for events that combine performance with commentary and demonstrations. Based in San Antonio, TX, Anastasio is artistic director of Agarita, a chamber music group that stages free community concerts and collaborates with dancers, poets, fashion designers, and other artists. In NYC, he performs with Unheard-of, a contemporary music ensemble that commissions young composers and premieres new works. Its concerts have taken place in unconventional settings, including along Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal and even in canoes floating down the waterway. Performing under a bridge on the San Antonio River. “There’s so much great music out there to be discovered,” says Anastasio. “I just generally enjoy playing the role of interpreter and translator.” While Anastasio grew up playing piano, it wasn’t until he was on the Hill that he started aiming for a professional career—often playing in Lincoln Hall late into the night, sneaking into Barnes to use recital space, and practicing on a keyboard in his dorm room. After graduating with a double major in music and philosophy from Arts & Sciences, he earned a master’s from Juilliard and a doctorate from Stony Brook University. With friends at Commencement. “My true passion is not playing the piano; it’s not playing classical music. It’s connection,” Anastasio observes. “It’s being able to get deeply in touch with the expression of these individuals from hundreds of years ago and then sharing that—so we can all feel more connected, more vulnerable, and more open emotionally.” (All images provided.) Published September 15, 2026 Comments Stefani 15 Sep, 2026 bravo Daniel! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni Engineering Alumna Rockets to Netflix Baking Competition Alumni Alum’s Company Nourishes Babies’ Brains through Science-Backed Play Alumni ‘Wine Is Not Fungible’: How an Alum’s Firm Made Global Headlines