Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Daniel Oren received lessons in singing, piano and cello from an early age. At the age of 13, his musical talent was recognised internationally: He was chosen by Leonard Bernstein to sing the solo in the "Chichester Psalms" on Israeli television. At the age of 17, he began studying conducting at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. In 1975, he was awarded first prize at the International Karajan Conducting Competition, also in Berlin.
In 1978, he made his debut in the USA at the Festival of Two Worlds, while at the same time embarking on a career in Italy, where he was appointed Music Director of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 1978. In Italy, he was also music director at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
He is regularly invited as a guest conductor at theatres and institutions in Europe, Asia and America, including the Teatro alla Scala, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Covent Garden in London, the Vienna State Opera, the major opera houses in San Francisco, Houston, Buenos Aires, Paris, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, as well as the Israel Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Munich Radio Orchestra.
Daniel Oren is celebrated worldwide for his unique interpretations of the masterpieces of Verdi and Puccini. He has worked with some of the world's most famous opera singers, including Alfredo Kraus, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Raina Kabaivanska, Gena Dimitrova, Renato Bruson, Marcelo Álvarez, Leo Nucci, Diana Damrau and many others. He has made recordings for RCA, Decca, Arthaus Musik, TDK, Pentatone and other well-known labels. These include a live recording of "Tosca" at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome with Luciano Pavarotti and Raina Kabaivanska in the leading roles, which was repeated in Vienna and Turin. In 2021, he recorded "La Traviata" with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra with Lisette Oropesa and René Barbera in the leading roles.
He was music director of the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv and was later appointed chief conductor there. He has been Artistic Director of the Teatro Municipale Giuseppe Verdi in Salerno since 2007. In 2019, he was Music Director of the Arena di Verona Opera Festival, where he still conducts regular performances.