Cherney, Brian

Brian Cherney (born September 4, 1942) is a Canadian composer, teacher and writer. Cherney was born in Peterborough, Ontario. He studied at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music where he was a pupil of John Weinzweig, Samuel Dolin, and John Beckwith. In 1972 he joined the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where he has taught analysis and composition for over fifty years. His pieces, often characterized by carefully calculated formal trajectories and a rich harmonic language, give the impression of a quiet intensity, usually featuring "stillness" in some manner. Cherney was awarded the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music in 1985 for River of Fire. His works have been played throughout North America, Europe, and elsewhere. His book, Harry Somers, remains one of the most important and detailed studies of this composer. The Cherney portrait in the Canadian Composers Portraits series was released in 2005. Illuminations: Essays in Honour of Brian Cherney, a special edition of the journal, Musical Intersections, was published in 2017. Cherney was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2021. He is the brother of oboist Lawrence Cherney.