The McGill/McHale Trio
Chamber music with a modern twist
Saturday, February 1, 2025
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Anthony McGill - Clarinet
Demarre McGill - Flute
Michael McHale - Piano
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An unusual combination of flute, clarinet, and piano, this trio was initially formed for a festival concert, where brothers Anthony and Demarre McGill immediately bonded with Michael McHale. The players balance and blend their timbres with nuanced phrasing to create a dazzling listening experience.
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“The Performance was made possible by the Virgin Islands Special Presenter Initiative program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support of
the National Endowment for the Arts.”
Ticket Pricing
Special event
Venue
Prior-Jollek Hall - Antilles School Campus - St. Thomas - U.S. Virgin Islands
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Adults - $30 Teachers - $10 Students - $5
6:00pm - Courtyard opens with small meals and desserts from Amalia Café
7:00pm - Start of the concert
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To purchase your ticket, click the link below:
Program
A Fish Will Rise (9') Chris Rogerson
(2016 - Piece especially written for The McGill/McHale Trio) (1988-)
Flute Sonata (13') Francis Poulenc
(1899-1963)
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Tyshawn Sorey: New Tyshawn Sorey
(1980-)
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Slavonic Dance No. 8 (4') Antonín DvoÅ™ák
Arranged by Michael Webster (1841-1904)
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Intermission
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Techno Parade (5') Guillaume Connessonn
(1970-)
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Estampes III. “Jardins sous la pluie” piano solo (5’) Claude Debussy
(1862-1918)
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Clarinet Sonata (14') Francis Poulenc
(1899-1963)
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Sonatina (15') Paul Schoenfield
(1947-2024)
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ENCORE Slavonic Dance No. 13 (3')] Antonín DvoÅ™ák
Arranged by Michael Webster (1841-1904)
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Anthony McGill
Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (The New York Times), clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures.
In addition to his dynamic international solo and chamber music career, McGill is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic—the first African-American principal player in the organization's history.
Musical America named him the 2024 Instrumentalist of the Year. He is the recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards given in recognition of soloists who represent the highest level of musical excellence.
McGill was honored to take part in the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece written for the occasion by John Williams and performing alongside violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Gabriela Montero.
He earned his first GRAMMY® nomination for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for his album American Stories with the Pacifica Quartet (Cedille).
Demarre McGill
“From his first notes, the effect was astonishing. It was the tone he drew from his instrument which caught the ear first, and continued to throughout the performance. Totally clean, liquid, mellifluous—i.e., honeyed—in the best sense of the word, rounded and beautiful, it beckoned you in.”
Born in Chicago, Demarre McGill began studying the flute at age 7 and attended the Merit School of Music. In the years that followed, he studied with Susan Levitin. Demarre received his Bachelor's degree from The Curtis Institute of Music and a Master's degree from The Juilliard School. Demarre McGill is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
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Demarre McGill has gained international recognition as one of the premier flutists of his generation, celebrated for his lyrical expressiveness and technical prowess.
Winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, McGill has appeared as a soloist with renowned orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the San Francisco, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Grant Park, San Diego, Chicago, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras. His captivating performances have earned him critical acclaim and a distinguished place in the world of classical music.
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Currently serving as the principal flute of the Seattle Symphony, McGill has previously held principal flute positions with the Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra.
He has also served as acting principal flute with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Michael McHale
“…McHale played with cool authority and understated panache as one expected from a young pianist whose international career is in serious take-off mode…” Dick O’Riordan, Sunday Business Post.
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Belfast-born Michael McHale has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading pianists and has developed a busy international career as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician.
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Winner of the Terence Judd/Hallé Award in 2009, Michael was also awarded the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, the 2005 Camerata Ireland/Accenture Award, and in 2016 a Major Individual Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. He studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, and his teachers and mentors include John O’Conor, Réamonn Keary, Christopher Elton, Ronan O’Hora and Barry Douglas.
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In 2017 Michael was invited to become a Patron of the Ulster Youth Orchestra, and in 2018 he was appointed lecturer in piano for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the MTU Cork School of Music in Ireland in addition to which he regularly gives masterclasses and adjudicates competitions in the USA, Ireland and the UK. In 2023 he was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
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He has performed and recorded as a soloist with the Minnesota and Hallé Orchestras, the Moscow, Bournemouth, Jacksonville, Fort Smith, BBC and London Symphony Orchestras, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and all five of the major Irish orchestras. He has performed at the Tanglewood, BBC Proms and Tokyo Spring Festivals, Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Southbank Centre, London, Berlin Konzerthaus, Lincoln Center, New York, Symphony Hall, Boston, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and regular appearances at Wigmore Hall, London as a founding member of the Wigmore Soloists.
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