Equally at home in orchestral and choral idioms, Mr. McDonnell's performances have won critical acclaim and national acclaim.  M. McDonnell is an enthusiastic musical collaborator, and his choral-orchestral partnerships include not only classic works like Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Carmina Burana, but also less frequently performed masterpieces like Mahler's Symphony No. 2. and Franck's Psyche.   He has worked with some of the most renowned conductors in the world, including Andrey Boreyko, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Cristian Macelaru and Robert Page.  M. McDonnell has served as musical director of the Schola Nova ensemble, the Studio Lirico opera program, the Elysium Concert Opera, the Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida, the Ars Laudis Festival Chorus & Orchestra, the choirs of the University Ave Maria and the North American College in Vatican City. 

 

Mr. McDonnell's performances with college ensembles have garnered national recognition.   In 2013, McDonnell was a finalist for the American Choral Conducting Award for his performance of Mozart's Requiem, and in 2014 he won third place in the 2014 American Award for his interpretation of Ein Brahms' Deutsches Requiem.

 

Mr. McDonnell's compositions and arrangements have been performed by leading and regional ensembles, including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Yale Repertory Orchestra and the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra.  M. McDonnell was a finalist for the 2014 US Composition Award. A successful crossover and recording artist, Mr. McDonnell has arranged and conducted tracks released on Rob Hyman's Monocle label.

 

McDonnell prepared many performance editions.   As conductor of the Schola Nova ensemble, he developed a subspecialty in music for chamber ensembles of all periods. His arrangements of works by Gustav Mahler, Lehár, Bruckner and Sibelius have enriched the repertoire of chamber orchestras and have been praised for their innovative use of limited instrumental forces.

 

Maestro McDonnell is a graduate of Yale University and the University of South Carolina.