“I aim to inspire my students to seek deep, personal meaning in the music we perform. If done with enthusiasm and openness, this kind of preparation has the potential to produce unforgettable, life-altering performances."
Daniel McDavitt
Associate ProfessorCenter for Dance, Music, & Theatre
Dr. Daniel McDavitt (b. 1979) is associate professor of music and Director of the Goucher College Choirs and Orchestra, where he also directs the conducting and musicianship curriculum.
Previous to this appointment, he was Director of Choral Activities at Loyola University Maryland, and Acting Director of Choirs at Knox College.
As a composer, Dr. McDavitt’s compositions and arrangements have been performed and
broadcast throughout the United States and abroad. His music is published by Walton Music, E. C. Schirmer, Gentry Publications, and Jackman Music. He also has a number of self-published works available through his website, www.danielmcdavitt.com. Dr. McDavitt has been awarded a commission from the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition,
and won first prize in the Magnum Opus Composition Competition; he has also received
numerous grants for music research and to promote new works by living composers; he
regularly accepts commissions from community, university, and school choral ensembles
from around the country. In 2017, he was honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award at Goucher College,
and in 2018 and again in 2020, he presented part of his research at the Oxford Conducting
Institute in the United Kingdom.
Born and raised in Missouri, he holds a bachelor of arts degree in music and humanities
and a master of music degree in choral conducting from Brigham Young University, and
a doctor of musical arts degree in choral conducting and literature, with a minor
in theory/composition, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. McDavitt is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the College
Music Society, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP),
and the National Collegiate Choral Organization, where he serves on the national board.
Research, Scholarship, Creative Work in Progress
Creating sensory-inclusive performances
Big Recruiting Ideas From Small Colleges
Engaging 21st Century Singers in the Choral Rehearsal
Blended Learning in the Choral Rehearsal
Publications
Something Sings, for SATB, flute, and piano, published by Gentry Publications
My Childhood Home, for SATB, flute, and piano, published by Gentry Publications
The Fountain, for SATB, flute, and piano, published by Gentry Publications
The Promised Land, for SSAATTBB a cappella, published by E. C. Schirmer Publishing
Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal, for SSAATTBB a cappella, published by E. C. Schirmer Publishing
Kitty of Coleraine, for TTBB and four-hands piano, published by Walton Music
God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son, for SATB or TTBB and organ, published by Jackman Music
Come, Lord Jesus, for TTBB and piano, published by Holy Sheet Music
Exhibits or Performances
From Mountain to Forest to River, for SATB Choir, Youth Choir, and Orchestra, commissioned by the Deer Creek Chorale, premiere postponed to November 2020/March 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic
Praise to the Holiest in the Height, for SSATTB Choir and Organ, commissioned by Dr. Allen Buskirk, choirmaster at Mount Calvary Catholic Church, to be premiered October 13, 2019
Locus iste, for SSAA/SSAA a cappella, commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, premiered by the Brigham Young University Women's Chorus
Farewell Song to the Banks of Ayr, for SATB and piano, commissioned and premiered by the Charleston Civic Chorus
Three Memories, for SATB, flute, and piano, commissioned and premiered by the Deer Creek Chorale
Songs from Middle Earth, for SATB, soprano solo, and chamber orchestra, premiered by the Goucher College Choirs and Orchestra
The Parting Glass, for TTBB double choir a cappella, commissioned and premiered by the Loyola Chimes
Let Zion Rejoice, for SATB and organ, commissioned and premiered for the Kansas City LDS Temple Dedication
Commissioned and premiered by the Brigham Young University Men’s Chorus:
- Come, Lord Jesus, for TTBB and piano
- Farewell to Babylon, for TTBB, brass ensemble, and organ
- Give Me Jesus, for TTBB a cappella
- Highland Cathedral, for TTBB, trumpet, bagpipes, percussion, and piano
- Inside Out and Kicking: A Festival of Welsh Folksongs, for TTBB, percussion, and four-hands piano
- Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee, for TTBB and organ
- Kitty of Coleraine, for TTBB and four-hands piano
- My Little Welsh (Mountain) Home, for TTBB and piano
- My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, for TTBB and piano
- Nearer, My God, to Thee, for TTBB a cappella
External Awards, Honors, Grants
Barlow Endowment for Music Composition
Magnum Opus Choral Composition Competition
Conference Papers & Panel Participation
Blended Learning in the Choral Rehearsal, paper given at the Oxford Conducting Institute at St. Anne's College at the University of Oxford, June 2020 (postponed to June 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic)
Engaging 21st Century Learners in the Choral Rehearsal, paper given at the Oxford Conducting Institute at St. Anne's College at the University of Oxford, June 2018
Academic or Professional Associations
American Choral Directors Association, subcommittee on diversity initiatives
National Collegiate Choral Organization, national board
College Music Society
American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers