Daniel Stelter
Daniel's love of music began in childhood. At the age of eight, he learned to play the classical guitar. His curiosity and fascination with sounds drove him to play along to the records and cassettes in his home music cabinet and to listen to them. At 17, he joined the German Youth Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Peter Herbolzheimer, touring Southeast Europe for six weeks, experimenting with various bands and line-ups, gaining valuable experience and quickly becoming a sought-after musician in the local scene.

After graduating from high school, Stelter studied jazz guitar with Norbert Scholly at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, but always kept his focus on the classical guitar. After composing, recording, and playing for many musical projects, he released his first CD under his own name in 2009. The quartet, consisting of Ulf Kleiner, Michael Paucker, and Tommy Baldu, quickly became a sought-after live act in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, receiving consistently positive reviews from the music press. To date, six albums have been released under his name ("Homebrew Songs," "Krakelkrakel," "Little Planets," "Humming Songs," "Begegnung," and "Pocket Full of Tales").

At the same time, Stelter expanded his career as a creative sideman, creating opportunities to refine his musical vision and sound in other lineups. His guitars can now be heard on countless albums by renowned artists, across many genres.

At the end of 2016, he toured with jazz legend Al Jarreau and in 2017 recorded the album "Wolfgang Haffner - Kind of Spain" with Jan Lundgren, Lars Danielsson, Sebastian Studnitzky, and Christopher Dell. In 2018 and 2019, he performed in the USA as a duo with Lulo Reinhardt and released two albums: "Live in der Stadtkirche" (2016) and "Live@Neidecks" (2019). In 2019, he participated in the "Nacht der Gitarren" tour in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and also became a permanent member of the Ringsgwandl band, with whom he has now recorded four albums.

From 2014 to 2018, Stelter was a featured guitarist on the popular television show "Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert" (Sing My Song – The Exchange Concert) and increasingly established himself as a sought-after studio guitarist. During this time, he recorded albums for numerous artists. In 2019, he organized the first international guitar festival in his hometown of Ingelheim, which took place for the sixth time in 2014 and has since featured numerous renowned guitarists.

Since 2020, Stelter has appeared as a coach and band member on the TV show "Dein Song" on Kika. In 2021, he joined the band Heavytones, with whom he regularly appeared on the reboot of "TV Total" from 2021 to 2024. He is currently delighting audiences with the Heavytones on Stefan Raab's new show "DGHNDM."

In 2024, the album "Petrichor" by David Orlowsky feat. Daniel Stelter & Tommy Baldu was released, which is on the German Record Critics' longlist.

His seventh album, "Wooden Songs," will be released in 2025.

In addition to his work as a musician, Stelter is also active as a composer, arranger, and producer for radio plays, film, and television productions. From 2015 to 2024, he taught guitar at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, and since 2021, jazz guitar at the Mainz University of Music. He also works as a guest lecturer at various universities and vocational schools and runs his own studio, Studio-DS, in Ingelheim am Rhein.