Symphony Tacoma: Classics V

• Anthony McGill, clarinet

The works comprising this concert pay tribute to our collective sentiment through onerous times. Vivian Fung’s Prayer is a deeply personal commentary on the extraordinary conditions she faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., From the Mountaintop was written for Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, and is filled with vivid sadness, happiness, prayerfulness, joy, and the struggles and pain felt during the Civil Rights Movement. Schumann celebrates the Rhineland in his Symphony No. 3.

About Symphony Tacoma

http://symphonytacoma.org/

About Anthony McGill, clarinet

Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times), clarinetist Anthony McGill enjoys a dynamic international solo and chamber music career and is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic – the first African-American principal player in the organization's history. He is the recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards.

McGill appears as a soloist with top orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. He performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams. As a chamber musician, McGill is a collaborator of the Brentano, Daedalus, Guarneri, JACK, Miró, Pacifica, Shanghai, Takács, and Tokyo Quartets, and performs with leading artists including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Gloria Chien, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang.

He serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School and is the Artistic Director for Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. He holds the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair at the Curtis Institute of Music.