Biography
Daniel Sternefeld (Antwerp, 27 November 1905 – Brussels, 2 June 1986) was a Belgian composer and conductor.
Sternefeld took private lessons with Renaat Veremans and Paul Gilson at the Royal Conservatory of Flanders in Antwerp, after which he studied conducting under Frank van der Stucken. He completed his studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Bernard Paumgartner, Clemens Krauss and Herbert von Karajan. In 1938, he was appointed principal conductor of the Royal Flemish Opera. Sternefeld wrote his first symphony in 1943 while hiding from the occupying German army. He escaped deportation and in 1942, risked his life by attending the funeral of his teacher Paul Gilson in Brussels. In 1948, he left the Royal Flemish Opera for the Belgian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Brussels – serving initially as associate conductor, and then from 1957 to 1970 as principal conductor – where he became known for his interpretations of modern music.
