When you get the opportunity to play with one of the great teachers, players and musicians of all time when you are 18, it changes you. I became a “professional” when I went to Marlboro Music Festival for the first time  as an 18 year old student because I learned that the only thing that was important was that I played music and took it very seriously. My early exposure to the Beethoven String Quartets was with the Guarneri Quartet recordings. Stunning. That first summer  I got to play in a group with David Soyer and it was the Schubert Octet. The piece is like an hour long and it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAiPxgwesQc One of the gems of the music world, The New York String Orchestra Seminar is an awesome group of young musicians that come together once a year to be immersed in great music and instruction, culminating in concerts at Carnegie Hall. It was founded by Frank Salomon who created the seminar in 1969 for Alexander Schneider, one of the great musicians of our time. I participated in the program when I was in college and it changed my life. I go back whenever I can to coach and in this instance, conduct  a sectional. These kids are the best musicians in the...

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Plain and simple. I like this song a lot. Anthony Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Artists: Radiohead OK Computer 1997 Christopher O’Riley Hold Me To This 2005

Hello everyone! Please enjoy this podcast. It was really fun putting this together but maybe next time it won’t take me all day to figure out how to do it! Anthony Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Recording Credits: Mozart Kegelstatt Trio K.498 The Nash Ensemble 1999 by EMI/Virgin Schumann Marchenerzahlungen Op. 132 Paul Meyer Clarinet, Eric Le Sage Piano, Antione Tamestit Viola 2006 by Alpha Bruch 4 Pieces: Michael Tree Viola, Anthony McGill...

For the first installment I’d like to introduce my parents, Demarre and Ira Carol McGill. They were my first teachers and the biggest influences on my music-making. In many ways they have already taught me so much about music and life. These two wonderful things, as I would discover in this conversation, are improvised everyday. My parents’ experiences as extremely creative artists gave them the ability to show me the way. We discussed this a few months ago before my concert in Jefferson City, MO over lunch. I took out my iPhone and recorded some of the conversation. This is what was...

I just finished moving today and for some reason I thought I should definitely get back in touch and talk about a great night out I had two weeks ago.  I had a night off from the Met so in pursuit of some great listening and learning I would check out a concert a friend emailed me about. The concert was an appearance by Ron Odrich, a periodontist and jazz clarinet player who I knew of but had not heard live. He was to be joined by Eddie Daniels a famous jazz clarinetist.  What a great night. I met my girlfriend at a small Italian restaurant on the east side at around 7 and was in for a real treat....

I recently released an educational iPhone/iTouch Application called Clarinet In Reach. Here is a link to more information about it. Spread the word! http://www.musicinreach.com/clarinet.html

This idea sprung to me as I was thinking about this past weekend’s concerto performances. I performed these from memory, or by heart, and why was it that I as a professional clarinetist, at the top of my game, thought this was a slightly stressful, albeit enjoyable endeavor specifically because I had no notes in front of me. My entire life I’ve been thinking about this, but a few recent experiences have set me onto this journey of curiosity that I plan to share with you. I read an article this morning about Barbara Streisand one of the arguably greatest singers/performers/musicians of our...

http://www.abc2news.com/content/gmm/default.aspx?articleID=19212 Woke up this morning for a fun interview in Baltimore before my concert tonight in Annapolis with the Annapolis Symphony.