Anthony McGill, woodwind chamber music
Master Class
No tickets required for this event.
Guest Artists visit SFCM to share their expertise with student musicians.
Program
Final program details will be announced upon availability.
Artists
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, and was named Musical America’s 2024 Instrumentalist of the Year. American Stories, his album with the Pacifica Quartet, was nominated for a GRAMMY® for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
McGill appears as a soloist with top orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. During the 2024-25 season he makes his BBC Proms debut performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra & Gemma New.
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.
In 2020, McGill’s #TakeTwoKnees campaign protesting the death of George Floyd and historic racial injustice went viral. Since 2023, he has partnered with Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative to organize classical music industry convenings at EJI’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, in which leaders and artists in classical music examine America’s history of racial inequality and how this legacy continues to impact their work. In 2024 he performed at the dedication of the National Monument to Freedom as part of EJI’s Juneteenth celebration.
He is a Backun Artist and performs exclusively on Backun Clarinets. anthonymcgill.com
Departments
Woodwind Chamber Music
About SFCM’s Woodwind Department
The Woodwind Department at SFCM houses a renowned faculty of ߲ݴý Francisco Symphony musicians and a bold, talented student body. Some of the world’s most accomplished woodwind artists challenge and inspire students who will become the next generation of great wind players. As an oboe, flute, clarinet, or bassoon student at SFCM, you’ll explore orchestral and chamber repertoire, contemporary music and canon literature—all while transforming your craft and preparing for life as a professional musician.
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