Welcome
Joshua Paul Daniels (he/him/his) is a composer based in Chicago, Il. His music focuses on themes of the sharper edges of life. From a personal place this comes from his experience with bipolar type 2 and the deconstruction of his religious upbringing. On a broader sense, the world as we know it is not short on inspiration for the artist-as-activist.
While studying for his Bachelor of Arts in Music at Spring Arbor University he won their Composition, Vocal Performance, and Vocal Leadership awards. Additionally, he won Spring Arbor University's 2018 Christmas Carol Composition Competition. He then moved on to earn his Master of Music in Composition from Central Michigan University. While there he won a second-place honorable mention in their 2020 Large Ensemble Composition Competition.
Since his graduation from Central Michigan University in 2021 he has set down roots in Chicago. Returning to composition in 2025 he was commissioned to write The Caged Skylark for CMAC: the University of Chicago Glee Club. He also collaborated with Drew Hosler and Vox Novus' 15 Minutes of Fame initiative. In 2026 he collaborated with Hope Arthur and the Alloy prepared piano project to write Impressions for Prepared Piano. He also worked with Vox Novus and 15 Minutes of Fame once again in the Queens New Music Festival
He loves cooking, coffee, and his rabbit George Crumb! The composer and lyric bass-baritone was born in Port Huron, Michigan and is currently working on a tenor saxophone concerto for the 2026/2027 concert season! You can find him on social media @joshuapdanielsmusic or email him at joshuapdanielsmusic@gmail.com.
The Caged Skylark
The human soul’s isolation is a dangerous thing. Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote “The Caged Skylark” in 1877—wrestling with the soul’s relationship to the physical. Hopkins reflects on the human soul as trapped by its physical confines.
Creativity, community and humanity lie scanted when the world increasingly demands its people into exhaustion and complacency. This concept sat at the forefront of my mind as I set Hopkins’ poetry into this anthem. In it I encourage listeners to find hope wherever they find it. As Hopkins says: “…meadow-down is not distressed for a rainbow footing it...”
Duo
Duo combines compound melody with complex harmonic structure. The piece moves between the two whole tone collections like common practice music moves between chords — creating music which pulls toward the original whole tone collection, all while including multiple melodies that combine to make one layered, yet monophonic piece.
Impressions for Prepared Piano
Impressions is a cycle of 7 miniature compositions for prepared piano—inspired by jesting scherzos, liturgical bells, fae trickery, and more.
The piece consists of seven miniature movements. It opens with "Promenade," a sort-of welcome to the piece. Following is "Bell Choir," followed by "Scherzo." Scherzos are a particular favorite of mine as they are rooted historically in the time-honored tradition of mocking political tyranny. Following "Scherzo" is "Celebration," then "Elf King's Chase," and "Fae Ballet." The piece closes with "The Mechanic Cathedral," an intimate composition that features a lower voice which comes entirely from the intervals created by the preparation.
Portfolio
Read Here, Listen Below
Nocturne
In composing this piece, I sought pitches which speak to me and lay outside of traditional collections.
Eventually, I landed on C-D-E-F#-G-Ab-B. Playing with counterpoint off this collection, I used B as the primary tone and G with its chromatic neighbors as the chanting tone, giving the piece a particularly haunting feel. I often compose what I feel, and the delicate and dark pensiveness of Nocturne is no exception.
Crossmodal Correspondence in Music