As an accountant, Daniel Wallen is no stranger to tight deadlines and heavy workloads, especially in April amid a busy tax season. However, the University of Delaware Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics alumnus has learned to exemplify the importance of finding balance in his professional and artistic pursuits.
By day, Wallen, who earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from UD in 2023, works as an accountant at SL Green Realty Corp. in New York City. However, after 5 p.m., he shifts from spreadsheets to sheet music, dedicating time to practicing his piano skills, a lifelong passion.
Wallen’s emphasis on work-life balance has helped him reach a major milestone: his Carnegie Hall debut on June 5 at the Weill Recital Hall. He will perform classical piano works by Chopin, Liszt and Debussy. This will be his first all-classical piano concert he is hosting.
Wallen began playing the piano at age 5, when he surprised his parents by playing their favorite song, “Zombie” by the Cranberries. Recognizing his talent, they immediately enrolled him in lessons. He continued his training throughout elementary, middle and high school.
“Growing up, my entire life, I was just constantly surrounded by music,” Wallen said.
Once he got to UD, Wallen focused on accounting to satisfy his keen interest in the business world. He found accounting to offer the most diverse career path to learn about the foundations of business. Wallen also noted that his time at Lerner helped him connect and collaborate with peers with similar business interests.
Some of Wallen’s favorite classes were Business Law with Professor Roger Coffin and Audit with former visiting professor Chris Rosetti. He appreciated their kind, passionate and motivating teaching approach. Wallen felt they would go the extra mile to help him and his peers excel.
After class, Wallen practiced daily to hone his piano skills. His setup in his college townhouse included a full-size keyboard with a headset to avoid disturbing his roommate. He also made time to meet up with friends at Grottos, play for the club tennis team, or spend time with his fraternity.
Now a full-time accountant, Wallen sees a natural connection between his professional and artistic pursuits; attention to detail is crucial. It’s the same analogy he shares with his coworkers.
“I found with playing piano, you have to know pretty much everything that’s going on on a page of music, just like how you would an Excel file,” Wallen said.
“If I have a measure that I’m struggling with, I’ll break it down, note by note,” Wallen said. “I’ll analyze what my left hand is playing or what my right hand is playing, if those need to be staccato or legato, what the shape of my hand should look like.”
Similarly, when working with big data sets, Wallen pays close attention to the accuracy of his work. This includes classifying expenses in Excel sheets, ensuring all fields are correct before running reports in QuickBooks, or working on big corporate debt lead sheets.
Within his busy schedule, Wallen still finds time for his other hobbies, such as hanging out with friends and playing hockey. However, these days, it can be hard to fit everything in. Wallen dedicates at least an hour each night before bed to the piano to keep up with the necessary practice before his big recital.
“I think of it as reading a book before I go to sleep.”
Wallen’s lifelong dedication to the piano led him to contact the Carnegie Hall booking office and apply to play. After practicing his entire life, Wallen prepares to share his expression of emotion through music, which he views as a form of communication and storytelling.
“Playing in this historic venue has been a dream come true for me,” said Wallen. “Since starting piano at age 5, I can pretty much say that I have practiced, practiced, practiced for my entire life to be granted this opportunity to play on one of the world’s most legendary stages.”
“Now I have the chance to showcase a part of my world to inspire others to share their projects with the world as well.”