Conner David McCain

Composer • Organist • Conductor

Conner David McCain is a New York-based composer and a PhD Candidate in Music Composition at the University of Aberdeen. His music is influenced by the austere coherence and spiritual power of Gregorian chant and also the emotional directness and simplicity of popular music. He holds an MMus from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and an MA in Philosophy from the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. His works have been performed all over the world by ensembles such as Voces8 and the Red Note Ensemble, and he has participated in festivals and masterclasses in Italy, Scotland, and across the United States. He is also active as an organist and church music director in upstate New York.

23May

A Concert for Pentecost

5/23/2021 12:30 PM
39 E Main St, Pawling, NY 12564, USA

At 2:30pm on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, Yasha Borodetsky and I will perform a concert at St. John the Evangelist in Pawling, NY (39 East Main St., Pawling, NY 12564)! The concert will feature works from all across music history, from the early-Baroque to the Modern! For those of you in the area, the concert is open to in-person attendance, and is free to attend. No RSVP is necessary. Come and enjoy some live music for the first time in a while!

20Mar

A Concert for the Feast of St. Benedict

3/20/2021 02:00 PM
St. Anselm's Abbey, Washington, D.C.

05Aug

highSCORE Festival

8/5/2019 12:00 PM - 8/17/2019 12:00 PM
Pavia, Province of Pavia, Italy

I have been invited to the highSCORE Festival in Pavia, Italy, where I will receive lessons from faculty such as Christopher Theofanidis and Dmitri Tymoczko, and attend lectures with Kaija Saariaho, and Jean-Baptiste Barrière. I am writing lucernarium i for the Quartetto Indaco to be premiered at the festival.

06Jul

Organ Recital

7/6/2019 02:00 PM - 7/9/2019 03:30 PM
Quarr Abbey, Ryde, UK

As a part of the weekend of organ recitals at Quarr Abbey (on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England), on July 9 at 2:30pm, I will be giving a recital on their recently restored Mutin Cavallé-Coll including works by Franck, Vierne, and Glass, and featuring the world premiere of a new work written specifically for the occasion, "your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain."

24Apr

Brass Ensemble Reading

4/24/2019 07:15 PM
John Paul Hall, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Come see the premiere of my new work for Brass Ensemble, Tenebrae IV in John Paul Hall on the campus of the Catholic University of America!

24Apr

CUA Repertory Chorus Concert

4/24/2019 05:10 PM
St Vincent De Paul Chapel, Washington, DC, USA

Come hear the premiere of my new choral work, Christus resurgens, sung during the CUA Repertory Chorus Concert in St. Vincent's Chapel on CUA's campus!

16Dec

Advent Lessons & Carols

12/16/2018 04:00 PM
Saint John Paul II National Shrine, Washington, D.C.

Come see my Christmas anthem, Auden's Carol, at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine on December 16th! For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/880945082296504/

10Dec

CUA Division Recital

12/10/2018 07:30 PM
Ward Hall, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Come see my work for solo violin, Constellations, at the Catholic University of America on December 10!

19Nov

American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting

11/19/2018 03:30 PM
Colorado Convention Center

I will be presenting a short paper, titled "Olivier Messiaen’s 'Des Canyons aux étoiles:' How Love for Creation Inspires Creativity," and will be participating in a roundtable discussion with other musicians and theologians.

26Oct

University of Tennessee Contemporary Music Festival

10/26/2018 10:35 AM
Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, University of Tennesee, Knoxville, TN

I will present my paper “Gregorian Echoes: The Influence of Plainchant on the Music of Henri Dutilleux" at the University of Tennessee Contemporary Music Festival on October 26!