Brian McGinley studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and undertook further study with Kristian Steenstrup, Bo Nilsson and Håkan Hardenberger. He freelances regularly throughout the UK and has appeared as Guest Principal Trumpet with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ballet, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Northern Ballet, and further afield with the Bergen Philharmonic and Stavanger Symphony in Norway. He has also worked with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, Frankfurt Opera and the Oslo Philharmonic.

Solo performances have included concertos by Haydn, Arutunian, Vivaldi, Telemann and Richard Rodney Bennett, HK Gruber's Exposed Throat and a premiere of a piece by James MacMillan for Solo Trumpet and Choir.

He also teaches at Aberdeen City Music School and the Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.