Daniel McCarthy (b. 1955, Onekoma, Michigan) is a unique and fresh voice
among the myriad of composers vying for attention in the contemporary music scene.
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, based in his musical roots which extends from opera, orchestra,
band, jazz ensemble, rock, and funk.
His orchestral, wind, and percussion music has been performed and recorded
by Eugene Corporon and The North Texas Wind Symphony, The Brevard Festival Orchestra, The World Youth Symphony Orchestra (Interlochen,
Michigan), The Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, The Taiwan Wind Ensemble, The Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Chamber
Symphony, and The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, The Naples Symphony Orchestra, 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 (The Eastman School of Music), Mark Ford (University of North Texas), Keith Aleo (Director of Orchestral
Percussion, The Zildjian Cymbal Co.), Catharine Hartig (Michigan State University), Joseph Lulloff (The Cleveland Orchestra
and Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra), Timothy McAllister (Arizona State University), Christopher and Leslie Norton (The Nashville
Symphony Orchestra), and bassoonist Barrick Stees (The Cleveland Orchestra).
McCarthy is a recipient of numerous
awards for his music including the Harvey Phillips Excellence in Composition Award, New Generations Orchestra Commissioning
Award, The Sackler Award (finalist), International New Music Consortium Prize (New York University), Belgrade ppIANISSIMO
Composition Prize, The Ohio Arts Council Excellence in Composition Award (5), The Indiana Arts Commission Artist Award (2),
The Indiana State University Distinguished Creative Professor Award and Arts Endowment Grant (5), The Ohio Adult Composers
Award (3), OMEA Composer of the Year, and a special tribute for his life's work as a composer by The State of Michigan Legislature.
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.
Daniel McCarthy has served as a Visiting Scholar at both The University
of Michigan and Ohio University School's of Music. His music is published solely by C. Alan Publications (BMI) in Greensboro,
North Carolina.
