McDonald, John D.

John D. McDonald

John McDonald is Professor of Music at Tufts University, where he served as Director of Graduate Music Studies from 2000 to 2010 and Department Chair from 2000 to 2003. He is a composer who tries to play the piano and a pianist who tries to compose. McDonald was named the 2007 MTNA—Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year by the Music Teachers National Association, and received the 2009 Lillian and Joseph Leibner Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising from Tufts University. In 2010, he received the Waring Prize from Western Reserve Academy, the highest award given to alumni of that school. His recordings appear on the Albany, Archetype, Boston, Bridge, Capstone, Neuma, New Ariel, and New World labels, and he has concertized widely as composer, pianist, and collaborative performer. New releases include pianist Andrew Rangell's performance of McDonald's Meditation Before A Sonata: Dew Cloth, Dream Drapery, on Bridge Records.

Recent performances at the Goethe Institut of Boston, at Tufts, and at many other venues have been highly acclaimed. McDonald is a member of The Mockingbird Trio, directs the Tufts Composers Concert Series, and serves on the boards of several performance organizations in New England. He has recently fulfilled commissions from The Chamber Orchestra of Boston, pianist David Holzman, The Firebird Ensemble (for an Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music Residency, with support from a Meet the Composer MetLife Creative Connections Award), and the ANA Trio (Fredonia University; soprano, cello, and piano), among others. Recent and upcoming performances and projects include a three-concert series with the Mockingbird Trio in Jamaica Plain, a performance of Schubert's Winterreise with saxophonist Philipp Staeudlin at Harvard Musical Association, the formation of a new trio with flutist Marco Granados and saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky, performing as keyboardist in Tod Machover's new opera Death and the Powers, and recordings of Hovhaness's Song of the Sea (with BMOP players on BMOP Sound), an album of American Bass Music with Robert Black (forthcoming on New World Records), a retrospective of McDonald's violin and piano music with soloist Joanna Kurkowicz, and several other recording endeavors.

https://johndmcdonaldmusic.com/

NSM currently offers two works by Dr. McDonald: Three Four-Note Flute Duets, and Three Melodies That Descend for solo flute.