American composer, conductor, pianist, accompanist, organist, music director & teacher.
Born July 27, 1899 in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
Died March 30, 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
McDonald was musically talented from an early age, studying piano and French horn, joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic while still in his teens. He received his Bachelor's degree in music from the University of California at Berkeley in 1921. He also studied at the University of Redlands, California. After winning a national prize for an orchestral suite he composed, he was able to complete his compositional studies at the Leipzig Conservatory the next year.
Returning to the U.S., he began a career as a piano soloist, accompanist, lecturer on composition, choral conductor, and church choirmaster. He was the Director of the Music Department of the University of Pennsylvania, Manager of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a musical research scientist.