Wu Tsai Series: Chineke! Orchestra

• Anthony McGill, clarinet

Florence Price — Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 (Anthony McGill, clarinet)
Carlos Simon — Fate Now Conquers

Europe's first majority-Black and ethnically diverse orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra was founded with the intention of providing opportunities for composers and performers of color in a field that traditionally minimizes Black participants. The orchestra's Lincoln Center debut (part of their premiere North American tour), presented in partnership with the New York Philharmonic and The Juilliard School, offers a bravura selection of thought-provoking works led by guest conductor Andrew Grams of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. The program will include the trailblazing 20th-century composer Florence B. Price's Symphony No. 1; Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, featuring NY Phil Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill; and Fate Now Conquers by the contemporary American composer Carlos Simon.

About Chineke! Orchestra

The Chineke! Foundation was founded in 2015 by the double bass player, Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, to provide career opportunities for Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe. Chineke!’s mission is: ‘Championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music’.

The Chineke! Orchestra, the Foundation's flagship ensemble, works closely with its sister ensemble, the Chineke! Junior Orchestra, a youth orchestra of Black and ethnically diverse players aged between 11 and 22, with senior players acting as mentors, teachers and role models to the young musicians.

https://www.chineke.org/chineke-orchestra

About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

https://lincolncenter.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.

https://www.anthonymcgill.com/