MMC Recordings

MMC (Master Musicians Collective) makes eclectic mix of classical, jazz, alternative and children's music. Since its formation in 1992 by the renowned composer William Thomas McKinley (b. 1938), MMC Recordings has produced and released hundreds of orchestral works by the leading lights of contemporary classical music in addition to its rising stars. "It is a difficult proposition for any composer to get his or her music recorded," says McKinley, "and often times even harder to get it heard. We've been able to help composers connect with the listening public and vice versa and have built a wonderfully diverse catalog of truly outstanding modern music." The label's primary collaborators include luminaries such as clarinetist Richard Stoltzman (a long-time friend and supporter of McKinley and his music), conductors Gerard Schwarz, Gil Rose, George Manahan, Vit Micka, and Kirk Trevor as well as the London Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, Boston Modern Orchestra, and Moravian Philharmonic, among others. "A recording project of this magnitude fills a void indeed," says Schwarz, "and thus deserves greater and greater visibility, diversity, and significant collaborations." With industry leaders being forced to cut budgets and slash recording projects, there is little room for programming the works of living artists, but MMC remains committed to the cultivation and preservation of modern classical music. "MMC has given an enormous boost in helping to remedy the paucity of recordings of living American composers," says Stoltzman. "I'm very proud to help play a vital role in the creation of new works, their performance and recordings, their commercial viability, and their cultural-historical preservation."