McManus earned the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988, with a dissertation on the Elliott Carter's 1980 piece for solo piano, "Night Fantasies." His compositions, for acoustic and electro-acoustic media, have been performed throughout the United States (including SEAMUS and SCI conferences). He has published editorials, reviews, and reports in Computer Music Journal and the Journal SEAMUS. Dr. McManus remains active as a performer (bass, guitar and electronics). Together with Dr. Brian Belet he is a founding member of Janus, an eclectic Bay Area contemporary chamber ensemble.