Daniel Bonade was born in Geneva, Switzerland of French parents, both of who were outstanding in the field of music. His mother was a well known opera singer and his father, Louis Bonade, was musical director of Victoria Hall at Geneva. After the death of his father, Daniel Bonade was received at the Paris Conservatory. There he entered the clarinet class of M. Mimart and at the same time studied privately with his teacher, M. Henri Lefebvre, then clarinetist at the Paris Opera. Soon after, M. Bonade won his first prize at the Paris Conservatory and came to San Francisco as solo clarinetist with the French Military band under the direction of M. Pares. Later he was engaged to tour the country with the Diaghileff Ballet Russe. At the termination of this engagement, he was offered the position of first clarinetist with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski's direction. Daniel Bonade remained fifteen years in this position after which he accepted an offer from Artur Rodzinski to serve as first chair man of the clarinet section in the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. His association with this musical organization lasted eight years. Upon retiring from this position, he toured South America under the baton of Arturo Toscanini and later become a member of the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony under Howard Barlow.

As one of the outstanding musicians in his field, Daniel Bonade has been associated with the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the Cleveland Music Institute, the Mannes School of New York and the Juilliard School of Music, New York.

From Bonade Orchestral Studies for Clarinet by Daniel Bonade. Published by Leblanc Educational Publications.

Links about Daniel Bonade:
Daniel Bonade Papers, University of Maryland Libraries

Daniel Bonade Biography

The Legacy of Daniel Bonade
Performances by the legendary clarinetist from 1923-1947. Compiled and edited by Larry Guy

The Art of Slurring - Daniel Bonade, The Clarinet, Summer 1951

Playing in Tune - Daniel Bonade, The Clarinet, Winter 1954

Breaking in Reeds - Daniel Bonade

Sixteen Phrasing Studies for Clarinet - Daniel Bonade

Clarinetist's Compendium - Daniel Bonade

The History of the Philadelphia School of Clarinet Playing

Bonade Ligatures