Dan Lopatka is a bassist and composer from Chicago specializing in video game music. He’s composed the scores for The Wind and Wilting Blossom (2020, Picklefeet Games) and Adventurer Manager (2014, Vigilant Addiction Studios). As a bassist, Dan has performed with notable musicians, including Emmy Award-winning composer Orbert Davis, Sigur Rós, Martha Reeves, Sister Nancy, and Wayne Newton. He’s also played for Broadway in Chicago productions of Some Like it Hot, 1776: The Musical, and Wicked.
Dan has appeared in TV shows like Fox’s Empire, The Jerry Springer Show, Apple TV’s Shining Girls, and the Daytime Emmy-winning children’s show, Green Screen Adventures. Dan works regularly around Chicago in projects spanning many genres. His latest venture is DLC Music, a music company specializing in live K-Pop, J-Pop, and Video Game Music.
He is a regular presenter at music conferences and events, speaking on the compositional techniques used in video game music. He’s given panels at Illinois Music Education Conference, MAGFest, and Chicago Public Schools’ Reverberate and SUPERFest.
Dan holds degrees in jazz upright bass performance from Northern Illinois University (M.M.) and University of Illinois Chicago (B.A.), and recently joined UIC’s music faculty, teaching Digital Music Composition, Intro to Music Technology, Jazz History, and American Pop Music History. He also directs the Pop/Rock Ensemble and Digital Music Ensemble.