Danyal is a composer and arranger from South London, who specialises in opera and theatre music. Two of his operas were premiered last year: Just So at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival, and The Open Cage at The Yard Theatre.

His recent arrangement of Tosca, jointly commissioned by Malmö Opera and OperaUpClose, premiered in Sweden and the UK in 2012. His previous arrangements for OperaUpClose (of Madama Butterfly and Pagliacci), garnered critical acclaim and led to a nomination for an Arts Foundation Award in Opera Composition.

Danyal also plays the viola, violin and piano, and works extensively in theatre, composing, recording and performing as an M.D. in London. He is currently working on new adaptations of The Miser and Dick Whittington for TARA Arts.

He has arranged and recorded strings for a host of bands and songwriters. One of his arrangements (for The Tan Yard Side) features on Sam Lee's album Ground Of Its Own, which has been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize 2012. He has also made arrangements for Diagrams, Laura Hocking, The Rivers of England and David Mountain, and plays with Adam Donen, Khiyo and Beth and the Availables.

He has composed three pieces for Kensington Chamber Orchestra, including two settings of children's poems for their family concerts.