About

Marshall McDaniel grew up in a theater and built a life in sound.

Raised in Topanga, California at the Theatricum Botanicum, he was surrounded by Shakespeare, storytelling, and live performance from day one. He trained as a classical cellist in Germany, studying at conservatories in Trossingen, Mannheim, and Berlin, and performed with orchestras including the Nationaltheater Mannheim and Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.

His shift into composition began with a commission from Yoel Gamzou that led to premieres across Europe—from chamber works to full orchestra. After earning his diploma from the UdK Berlin, he returned to Los Angeles, where he explored electronic music, scoring for film, TV, and games on projects like The Red Road and Dishonored 2.

He serves as Music Director for the Theatricum Botanicum, having written music for dozens of productions including multiple original musicals. He later returned to Germany as Music Director of the National Youth Ballet, creating original scores for choreographers including John Neumeier and Natalia Horecna.

Recent projects include Framework, a full-length dance piece co-written with his brother and commissioned by the Mozarteum Salzburg, and Man Making Machine for orchestra and electronics, which premiered at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn. His newest work, Der Sandmann, is currently running at the Staatstheater Cottbus.

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