A member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since September 1983, cellist Haden McKay began his music studies at age 10. Having grown up in an artistic surrounding (his father was a musicologist, specializing in early American music), Haden attended Yale University, where he studied cello with Aldo Parisot. While at Yale, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, received a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in 1979, and obtained his master’s degree in 1980.
In 1975, McKay attended the Berkshire Music Festival, where he performed under such conductors as Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein. During the summers from 1979 to 1983, he performed with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. He has also been on the music faculties of Miami University of Ohio and Iowa State University.
In addition to the DSO performing schedule, McKay participates in various chamber ensembles. Away from the cello he is an avid biker and serves as a volunteer literacy tutor. He lives with his wife Nadine, principal cellist of the Michigan Opera Theatre, in Windsor. Their son Roland is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, with recent postings in Yemen and Turkey.