Justin Michael McKay

Justin McKay webJustin Michael McKay grew up in the Blue Mountains near Sydney and attended the Conservatorium High School. He graduated from the University of Western Sydney, Nepean with a double-major in Performance and Music Technology. His teachers have included Judy Bailey, Michael Whiticker, Albert Landa and Joshua Tsai, among others.
McKay's output includes three one-act operas, a string symphony, a set of fugues for piano, incidental music for plays, three chorale preludes for organ, a quintet for piano and winds, a harpsichord concerto, a cello sonata, and two string quartets. His attractive piano pieces have been enjoyed by pianists and audiences alike. While many of his works exhibit traces of a neoclassical style, the influence of jazz is also evident; overall a natural melodicism prevails.
He is an improvisation enthusiast, avid continuo harpsichordist and advocate of the study of partimento. He cites his performing and improvisation experience as having had a strong impact on his compositional processes.
McKay’s music has been performed in Australia and the United States, by performers such as The Veridian Symphony, cellist Jia-Mo Chen, the Children's Choir of Chico, the Arcangelo Trio, pianists Roger Woodward and Jeannell Carrigan and soprano Sharon Shelton.

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