Maxime McKinley

Maxime McKinley received, in 2004, a Prix avec grande distinction from the Conservatoire de musique Montréal, where he studied composition with Michel Gonneville. In 2009, he completed a doctorate in composition at the University of Montreal, under the direction of Isabelle Panneton. He stayed several times in Paris, where he notably perfected his skills with Martin Matalon and Gérard Pesson. His music is regularly performed by several renowned soloists, ensembles and orchestras in Quebec and elsewhere in the world. In 2014, he received the Opus Prize “Composer of the Year” from the Conseil québécois de la musique, the 2009 European Composition Prize (Prix Père-Fernand-Lindsay), eleven prizes in the national Young Composers competition from the Socan Foundation (2003-2011), and the Prix collégien de musique contemporaine (2011). He was composer in residence at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur (2011-2014) and completed, in 2016, the realization of a research-creation project on the poetry of Philippe Beck at the Canada Research Chair in aesthetic and poetic, with the support of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC). Between 2016 and 2024, McKinley was the editor-in-chief of the journal Circuit, musiques contemporaines. In 2015, he received the Opus “Article of the Year” Prize. In 2017, his exchanges with the composer Pascal Dusapin (correspondence and interviews) were published in France by the Presses universitaire du Septentrion. He is a professor of composition and musical analysis at the Montreal Conservatory of Music.