Boyd McDonald

Boyd McDonald (born 28 September 1932) is a Canadian pianist, fortepianist, composer, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output includes works for choirs, bands, orchestras, and art songs. His works have been performed throughout Canada and Europe by ensembles like the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Renaissance Singers, the Scholars of London, Symphony Hamilton, the Waterloo Chamber Players, and the Wellington Winds among others.

A documentary film regarding Boyd's life, "From the City of Bridges to the City of Lights", premiered on 27 October 2024 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

Early life and education Born in Tuberose, Saskatchewan, McDonald studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music where he earned an associate diploma in 1951 and a licentiate diploma in 1953. Among his teachers were Murray Adaskin (music composition) and Lyell Gustin (piano). A grant from the Canada Council enabled him to pursue further studies in Paris from 1957 to 1960 with Nadia Boulanger (composition) and Jean Casadesus (piano). He also studied composition in the summers with John Cage, Darius Milhaud, and Stefan Wolpe.

Career In 1963 McDonald won the Leschetizky Debut Prize which led to his New York City recital debut at Town Hall. and the pair continued to perform together up through the 1990s. The duo toured North America and Europe together on several occasions. At WLU McDonald was co-ordinator of the summer baroque and classical workshop in addition to teaching classes in piano and music theory. Since 2009, he has chaired the board of directors of the Canadian baroque ensemble Nota Bene Baroque in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada.

In 2010, McDonald was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 22nd annual Kitchener-Waterloo arts awards. He continues to teach part-time at the WLU as a professor emeritus.