Herndon resident Daniel Lee recently won the Strathmore regional round of the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest June 19.
A singer-songwriter, Lee will perform at the 2005 Mountain Stage NewSong Festival national competition later this summer.
Presented by Performing Songwriter Magazine, the NewSong Contest is meant to offer recognition and support to the best unsigned and up-and-coming performing songwriters in all genres of music.
Lee, who moved to the area in January, has gained recognition in the local music scene in the past few years. He won the Gold Prize in Rock in the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest sponsored by the Songwriters Association of Washington and third place overall — beating out 900 other entries. Lee was selected to play in the Six Points Music Festival in Arlington this spring. His music has been broadcast on Z104 Radio's Capital Scene.
A native of Baton Rouge, Lee has won the Eddie's Attic Shootout Competition for Performing Songwriters in Atlanta, also won by John Mayer and Dayna Kurtz, among other well-known performers.
Lee has shared stages with Shawn Mullins, Better Than Ezra, David Garza, John Mayer, Ian Moore, Cowboy Mouth, Michelle Malone and Matthew Kahler, among others.
He has also performed locally at IOTA, Jammin' Java and George Mason University in Northern Virginia, Staccato and DC9 in Washington and Strathmore Music Center, Santa Fe Cafe, Mayorga and College Perk in Maryland. He will appear at Staccato July 8, at 9 p.m.
Following and in recognition of his win, Lee performed in the Concert Hall of the Strathmore Music Center, in North Bethesda, Md.
In the national competition Lee will be one of 12 finalists. The NewSong Festival competition will be held in late August in Shephardstown, W.Va.
Described as "the 'Sundance' of performing songwriters," the national grand-prize winner will perform in the final show of the festival, which will be taped and broadcast worldwide on more than 200 radio and television stations, XM Satellite Radio and The Voice of America.
Lee's music can be heard at: www.DanielLeeMusic.com. To find out more about the NewSong Festival, visit www.NewSongFestival.com.