Atlanta composer Greg McLean is comfortable writing in a variety of musical styles. These include contemporary classical chamber works, as well as orchestral works and jazz works. Greg has composed or arranged for numerous world-class musicians including Marvin Stamm, Jens Lindemann, James Thompson, Martin Hackelman, the Canadian Brass, the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet, Hotlanta Dixieland Jazz and others.  McLean has written a variety of chamber works for various instruments, mostly brass.  He has also composed or arranged for orchestra, wind ensemble and various sized jazz or commercial ensembles. His music is serious, but witty. McLean combines a modern harmonic sense with hints of tonality. The music is engaging without being overtly complicated.

In 1991 and 1994 Greg was awarded the Individual Artist Award from the Georgia Council for the Arts. This grant allowed him to compose two new works for the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet. In 1996 and again in 2015 McLean was the Commission Composer of the Year for the Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA).  In 2014 Greg was commissioned by the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra to write an overture. This resulted in his work, An Indoor Overture, a wry nod to Aaron Copland’s well known piece An Outdoor Overture. The 2015 GMTA commission resulted in his Sonata for Trumpet and Piano. In 2024 at the GMTA Conference in Atlanta, Dr. Vicente Della Tonia premiered McLean’s Sonata for Piano, composed especially for his friend and Perimeter College colleague, Dr. Della Tonia. 

McLean has a simple philosophy on composition. “I try to write music that is interesting and thought-provoking, but also entertaining. Hopefully the audience leaves a performance wanting to hear more. Music should elicit a variety of emotions, but mostly joy, in my opinion. My music draws from many sources, including classical, jazz and pop. I want my music to be accessible without being dull or cliché. My music is never gratuitously complex. It may be technically challenging to the performers, but hopefully not for the listener.”

Greg McLean is a member of ASCAP. You can hear samples and purchase works at the online store.