Tom McKinney (broadcaster)
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Tom McKinney | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) |
| Alma mater | Royal Northern College of Music University of Manchester |
| Occupations | |
Tom McKinney (born 1979[1]) is a British broadcaster and musician, who presents Breakfast, the weekday breakfast programme, on BBC Radio 3, and in addition is involved with musical concerts and performances.
McKinney was born[1] and raised in Stoke-on-Trent.[2] His parents had strong interests in music, with his mother being a very avid fan of the music of Black Sabbath and his father being part of a punk rock band.[3]
He holds an undergraduate degree from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester,[4] where he studied classical guitar under Craig Ogden.[2] He then studied Musicology at postgraduate level at the University of Manchester.[4]
Musical career
McKinney became a professional classical guitarist after finishing university.[3] He has been involved in the very first performances of music by Louis Andriessen, Julia Wolfe and other composers.[5]
In 2010, McKinney featured in The Last Time I Died, an album composed by Ailís Ní Ríain.[6]
McKinney is President of the Penkhull Festival; he was born in Penkhull.[7]
McKinney teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he was once a student.[8] He is Professor of Guitar at the RNCM, where he gives one-to-one tuition to students. He has performed in Germany and Belgium as a musician, as well as at locations across the UK.[9] He has also performed at the BBC Proms and in 2019 was particularly popular in terms of his performance of new music.[10]
He organises the Sheffield Crucible Theatre's Music in the Round's chamber music concerts.[11] He hosted the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards 2025.[12] As of 2019, he was an audition consultant at the organisation Live Music Now![13]