George Frederick McKay

June 11, 1899 – October 4, 1970

George Frederick McKay was born in town of Harrington, Washington. His family moved to Spokane, where he attended school up to his college years. In 1923, he became the first graduate in composition studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. His interest was American folk-song, including jazz and blues and Native American music. In 1927, he returned to the University of Washington, where he taught, composed, and led performances. In 1952, he was commissioned by the Seattle Symphony to compose the city's Centennial Symphony, now known as "Evocation Symphony" or "Symphony for Seattle". Over the course of his career, McKay composed 70 orchestral works, and a total of nearly 1000 musical titles. He also wrote several papers and books on musical technique. He is believed to have been the most published American composer during the mid-twentieth century.