Piano Quintets

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Quintets


First name: Boyd
Last name: McDonald
Dates: 1932
Category: Quintet
Nationality: Canadian
Opus name: Keyboard Quintet (1994)
Publisher: Canadian Music Centre
Peculiarities: http://www.musiccentre.ca/node/13228
Information: Boyd McDonald, born in Saskatchewan in 1932, studied piano with Lyell Gustin and composition with Murray Adaskin. A Canada Council grant enabled him to study for three years in France with Nadia Boulanger. He also studied at summer schools with Darius Milhaud, John Cage and Stefan Wolpe. McDonald made his New York debut in 1963 winning the Leschetizky Town Hall Debut Prize. In 1967 he joined Garth Beckett to form the Beckett and McDonald Piano Duo which toured for many years in Canada, USA, England and Europe. They premiered works written for them by Bruce Mather, Robert Turner, Jack Behrens and Owen Underhill. In recent years McDonald has devoted his energies to historical and avant-garde performances on the fortepiano. He is a founding member of The Classical Trio which premiered Owen Underhill’s Dompe in 1986. As fortepiano soloist he premiered Jack Behrens’ Fantasy on a Fragment with the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra. His fortepiano recordings include a double CD of The Complete Works for Cello and Fortepiano by Beethoven with Paul Pulford (ebs Germany) and BRAHMS Cello Sonatas & Songs with Cello with Paul Pulford and Anne MarieDonovan (DOREMI Canada). His compositions have been performed by The Scholars of London, The Wellington Winds, The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, The Waterloo Players, The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra, The Renaissance Singers, Symphony Hamilton and numerous soloists including baritones Theodore Baerg, Garry Gable and Reid Spencer. His CD Bellows and Brass...and Boyd features his compositions performed by Guy Few (trumpet/piano), Joseph Petric (accordion) and Alain Trudel (trombone). He is currently writing a Concerto Grosso for Bellows & Brass and the Vancouver Symphony. As Professor Emeritus, McDonald teaches part-time at Wilfrid Laurier University and continues to be commissioned by various groups and musicians. Affiliations: SOCAN, The Canadian Music Centre, The Waterloo Early Keyboard Society and AFof M. (Canadian Music Centre)