Program Notes

The "Elegy" for string orchestra was composed in the early summer of 2006 after the passing of McKinley's longtime friend of nearly 60 years, Pittsburgh session drummer Roger Ryan. He had also recently lost his beloved aunt Hildred and "Pappy" Dick, both of whom raised him after the passing of his mother at age 12. The work is an expression of both sorrow and gratitude and is is dedicated "to the memory of all my dear friends and family who have passed into the eternal light..."