Hunter McKay is a saxophonist and composer from Maine who is currently based in Boston. His original music has been wittily described as  "music that will soundtrack the future (I suppose soundtracking the now as well, technically)” -Chris Hislop, Edge Magazine.  Hunter is the founder of www.SocialAnimalsBig.band, a seventeen-piece collective with a postmodern musical philosophy that blends jazz aesthetics with various stylistic influences including folk, rock, hip-hop, and experimental music. 

Hunter is also a founding member of The Reanimators, an early jazz ensemble dedicated to resuscitating America's original popular music.  Hunter was a performer and guest clinician at the 2023 Panama Jazz Festival where he plans to return in 2025.  As a member of the Portland Jazz Orchestra from 2025-2018, Hunter performed with jazz artists such as Jeff Coffin and Graham Breedlove.  He has also performed as a sideman with popular artists such as Godsmack lead singer, Sully Erna; and America's Got Talent Winner, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.  Hunter is a doctoral teaching fellow at the New England Conservatory of Music and an adjunct professor of music theory at Fitchburg State University. He is currently finishing his DMA in jazz composition from the New England Conservatory. He earned his MM in jazz arranging at William Paterson University, and his BM in saxophone performance from the University of Southern Maine.