His music defies categorization in terms of academic, experimental, traditional or other approaches to concert music except that it is infectiously appealing to listeners and performers alike.

Music is music to Daniel McCarthy no matter what the medium or style.  It abounds with rhythmic excitement, harmonic and lyric richness, and drama based in his musical roots which extends from opera, orchestra, band, jazz ensemble, rock, and funk. 

His orchestra music has been performed and recorded by The Brevard Festival Orchestra, The World Youth Symphony Orchestra (Interlochen, Michigan), The Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, among others.  His Chamber Music has been recorded by Eugene Corporon and The North Texas Wind Symphony, Gregg Hanson and The University of Arizona Wind Ensemble, Robert Stroker and The Meadows Percussion Ensemble, Rhythm & Brass, The Harrington, Avalon, and Arianna String Quartets, The Balance Duo, Quorum, The Interlochen Chamber Players, and The United State Marine Corps., Tuba and Euphonium Quartet.  

McCarthy's music is recorded on Albany, Centaur, d'Note Classics, Gasparo, and Klavier Records.  Among the many soloist who commission and perform his music are Michael Burritt (Northwestern University) and Mark Ford (University of North Texas), marimba performers, Keith Aleo (Director of Orchestral Percussion, The Zildjian Cymbal Co.), percussionist, Catharine Hartig (Michigan State University), clarinetist, Joseph Lulloff (The Cleveland Orchestra and Michigan State University) saxophonist, Timothy McAllister (University of Arizona), saxophonist, Christopher and Leslie Norton (The Nashville Symphony Orchestra), and Barrick Stees, assistant principal bassoon, The Cleveland Orchestra.

Dr. McCarthy is Section Chair of Composition and Theory at the University of Akron School of Music where he is founder and Director of the American New Music Festival in Akron, Ohio.  Daniel was previously Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Creative Professor in Composition at Indiana State University where he directed the Contemporary Music Festival with the Louisville Orchestra. 

He is founder of the Midwest Composers' Forum and has served as President of the Cleveland Composers Guild.  During the summer, he has been Instructor of Composition at the Interlochen Arts Camp and has served as music Conductor of the Interlochen Festival Orchestra, The Cleveland Chamber Symphony, The Terre Haute Symphony Youth Orchestra, The University of Akron Symphony Orchestra, and The Akron New Music Ensemble.