BIO

Cody McVey (b. 1996) is a composer currently based in Washington, D.C. whose music exists at the intersection of playfulness and darkness, establishing a texturally and timbrally rich sonic reality that blossoms and warps over time. His compositions are often inspired by his childhood — by reexamining his past through a kaleidoscope of perspectives, McVey’s music moves forward with clarity and intention while still upholding a sense of macabre and whimsy.

McVey has been commissioned by the CØDA Ensemble, Acoustic Frontier, the Zodiac Music Academy & Festival, CVC Percussion Duo, and violinist Sharan Leventhal, among others. His works have been performed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the New Music DC conference, Spectrum NYC, Skidmore College, and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. His music has also been selected for readings with the Mostly Modern Orchestra, Peabody Symphony Orchestra, Boston Youth Symphony’s Young Composer Initiative, and with violist Nadia Sirota. McVey is a recipient of the Ada Arens Morawetz Memorial Award in Composition and the Roger Sessions Memorial Composition Award. His piece A Scarlet Gap for mezzo-soprano and chamber orchestra earned first prize in the 2020 Virginia Carty DeLillo Composition Competition and his piece Little Hope for solo viola received second prize in the 2018 MA-ASTA Masters Composition Competition.

As an administrator and advocate for music education, McVey has worked in various roles with the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Education and Community Engagement Department, the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, and the National Orchestral Institute + Festival to facilitate access to education for youth, communities, and aspiring artists.

McVey holds a BM in Composition from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee where he studied with Felipe Lara, Eun Young Lee, Andy Vores, and Mischa Salkind-Pearl. He earned his MM in Composition from the Peabody Institute studying with Du Yun.