McKinley Foster is a multi-faceted instrumentalist and composer. Currently he holds the Mandolins/Guitar/Bouzouki chair for the Broadway National Tour of “Come from Away,” but previously held the chair for the entirety of the “Fiddler on the Roof” tour, lasting four years and 817 performances. Around New York City, he has performed with “Encanto: The Immersive Experience” as a guitarist, with 54 Sings Dua Lipa and, and with the synth-pop band “Eisenach” on guitar and synthesizer. Regional pit orchestra credits include The Mac-Haydn, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, Weathervane Repertory Theatre, Creede Repertory Theatre, and The Palace Theater in Manchester, NH.
As a composer, he writes electronic-adjacent music for his project, “Core Memory”, featuring audio-adaptive visuals from his brother Harrison. They have performed at fringe festivals and have collaborated with the dance collective, BODYSONNET, for the score for their short film, “The Mount.” His recent EP, “Array,” has received praise from online review sources.
McKinley holds degrees from West Chester University in Guitar Performance and Music Education (Magna Cumme Laude), and recently completed certificate programs in Film Scoring and Game Audio from Berklee College of Music Online. He is Apple Certified in Logic Pro X, and completed an Introductory Ableton Live Intensive with Elliot Cole at the Juilliard School. This summer, he will be participating as a scholar in the Resonance program as part of the Honeywell Arts Academy, a full-tuition covered program led by the GRAMMY winning ensemble, “Time for Three.” He has been a guest speaker for the guitar studio at Arizona State University, under the direction of Jiji Kim, and at the Capitol Area School for the Arts.
As a composer, he writes electronic-adjacent music for his project, “Core Memory”, featuring audio-adaptive visuals from his brother Harrison. They have performed at fringe festivals and have collaborated with the dance collective, BODYSONNET, for the score for their short film, “The Mount.” His recent EP, “Array,” has received praise from online review sources.
McKinley holds degrees from West Chester University in Guitar Performance and Music Education (Magna Cumme Laude), and recently completed certificate programs in Film Scoring and Game Audio from Berklee College of Music Online. He is Apple Certified in Logic Pro X, and completed an Introductory Ableton Live Intensive with Elliot Cole at the Juilliard School. This summer, he will be participating as a scholar in the Resonance program as part of the Honeywell Arts Academy, a full-tuition covered program led by the GRAMMY winning ensemble, “Time for Three.” He has been a guest speaker for the guitar studio at Arizona State University, under the direction of Jiji Kim, and at the Capitol Area School for the Arts.
