Daryl Douglas Donley

Daryl Douglas Donley was born March 27, 1959 in New York City, to Robert Donley and Toni Donley (formerly: Dolores Lucia Toniatti), along with his identical twin brother.

Daryl grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, NY with his parents and siblings, Lori, 15 months older, and Thomas, his twin. From birth, Daryl was surrounded by creativity, being the child of two actors. His father Robert Donley appeared on Broadway, TV, film, and radio, and his mother Toni taught drama, also founding the Children’s Wing of the Croton Shakespeare Festival. His roots in the arts also stretched back to his maternal grandfather who taught acting for 20 years at Jane Addams’ legendary Hull House, in Chicago. Addams, considered the grandmother of social work (and the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize), saw the arts at the heart of any community. As a result, she taught a wide range of arts to every immigrant child who came through Hull House. These strong beliefs and practices were instilled in Daryl’s mother, who lived at Hull House in her early years. Toni Donley raised Daryl and his siblings similarly, exposing them to a wide range of arts growing up. He studied classical guitar, acted in local plays, took ballet, painting, pottery, and enamel-making lessons. He also loved playing chess, sailing on the Hudson River, and playing tennis.

He, Tom and Lori would play instruments and sing together along with sharing the stage in local plays directed by Toni and Robert. Daryl even participated in an apprenticeship at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. He pursued a love of photography, a passion he shared with his twin. He had life-changing experiences from an early age, from training a wild squirrel to eat from his hand at age five, to studying abroad during high school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After graduating from Croton-Harmon Senior High School, Daryl attended Vassar College, studying English and Music.

Daryl’s upbringing in the arts carried through to his own professional life. Daryl, always on a journey of self-discovery, tried his hand at many jobs, from his internship at the Virginia Stage Company, to working in a touring puppeteering company, to an eccentric array of odd jobs such as managing a city dump (for one whole day!), importing semi-precious stones, working at a travel company and their interactive displays, and his all-time favorite: making soap-on-a-rope. In 1997, Daryl joined the Vermont Symphony Orchestra as the Technical Director. In the year 2000, he served as the state-wide coordinator for the National Symphony Orchestra’s (NSO) residency there, and he impressed their team so much that by Labor Day of that very same year, he had joined the staff of the NSO at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. There he would make his professional home for the rest of his life.

Daryl loved to learn and explore the world around him. In his role as Production Manager of the NSO, Daryl visited 11 different states as part of its American Residencies program, went on multiple US tours, numerous trips to Carnegie Hall, as well as tours of Asia, South America, Russia, and four tours of Europe. He produced hundreds of concerts with the NSO, working with renowned conductors and performers from all over the world, including Leonard Slatkin, Christoph Eschenbach, Gianandrea Noseda, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Renée Fleming, John Williams, Arlo Guthrie, Ben Folds, Lyle Lovett, Steve Martin, Kendrick Lamar, Common, Megan Hilty, Kristin Chenoweth, Sara Bareilles, Paul Simon, and countless others. Daryl was especially proud of his close collaboration with former Principal Pops Conductor, Marvin Hamlisch, for whom he designed lighting and made many theatrical dreams come true over the course of 12 years. Daryl became a behind-the-scenes legend at the NSO. His professional accomplishments would fill a library and his almost 25-year tenure at the Kennedy Center left an indelible mark on everyone he met.

Daryl was also known to have the eye and heart of a professional photographer. On September 11, 2001, Daryl was in his car stuck in traffic as he commuted to work when American Airlines Flight 77 flew over his car and crashed into the Pentagon. While in a state of shock, Daryl picked up his camera and started photographing. Daryl’s 9/11 photography appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Village Voice, national and international magazines, and books including LIFE’s 2002 edition of “The Year in Pictures” covering the events of September 11, 2001. The Discovery Channel featured Donley’s photographs in the documentary, Attack on the Pentagon. Additionally, his photography has been exhibited by the Smithsonian Institution and is included in the permanent collections of the 9/11 Museum in NYC, the Newseum in Washington, D.C. (which later closed in 2019), and the Library of Congress. Separately, his photo of President Clinton conducting the NSO is housed in the Bill Clinton Presidential Library’s permanent collection.

Perhaps Daryl’s greatest love in life was his daughter, Cagney. Over the last decade, they traveled together on several father-daughter trips, including Niagara Falls, Paris, France and the Grand Canyon. Cagney even joined Daryl as his sidekick on the NSO’s 2017 tour to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. He was proud of her throughout his life.

Daryl was an indescribably good person. He was famous for his work ethic, professionalism, dedication, and most of all, his enormous heart. Daryl cared immensely about every task he performed and every person he met. His love of the arts was omnipresent, and he often emphasized the important role music played in forging human connection. He never hesitated to support a friend or colleague in need. Daryl’s sense of humor was unmatched. His laugh and smile could light up a concert hall. Daryl loved deeply and was loved deeply in return by the people he inspired and supported throughout his life. In his final weeks, Daryl said: “If love could heal, I would be healed. I have never felt so loved in my whole life.”

Daryl died on May 9, 2025, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his twin brother Thomas, his sister Lori, his daughter Cagney, and countless friends and admirers. Donations in memory of Daryl may be made to the National Symphony Orchestra