Image of Boyd McDonald, lecturer, Department of Music, seated at a grand piano.

Bio/Historical Note: Boyd David McDonald (b. 1932) was born at 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 1957-1960 with Nadia Boulanger (composition) and Jean Casadesus (piano). He also studied composition in the summers with John Cage, Darius Milhaud, and Stefan Wolpe. In 1966 McDonald formed a piano duo with Garth Beckett, and the pair continued to perform together up through the 1990s. The duo toured North America and Europe together on several occasions.They made their London debut at Wigmore Hall in 1972 and their New York debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1978. 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. Throughout his career, McDonald composed musical works in several genres. including the 1998 Borders with Shadows, reflecting his visit to Natal. Since 2009, he has chaired the board of directors of the Canadian baroque ensemble Nota Bene Baroque in the Waterloo Region of Ontario.