Shriver Hall Concert Series Presents The McGill/McHale Trio In Virtual Premiere Concert

Shriver Hall Concert Series - Baltimore's premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists - presents a virtual premiere concert featuring the McGill/McHale Trio in works by Poulenc, Debussy, Paul Schoenfield, Guillaume Connesson, and Chris Rogerson on Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 5:30pm EST.

The trio is comprised of principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic and Avery Fisher Prize-winning clarinetist Anthony McGill; his brother, Avery Fisher Prize-winning flutist and principal flute of the Seattle Symphony, Demarre McGill; and one of Ireland's leading concert pianists, Michael McHale.

The performance was recorded in December 2019 at the 92nd Street Y and features a program of Chris Rogerson's A Fish Will Rise, Poulenc's Sonata for Flute and Piano, Dvořák's Slavonic Dance No. 8 arranged by Michael Webster, Guillaume Connesson's Techno-parade, "Jardins Sous La Pluie" from Debussy's Estampes, Poulenc's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, and Paul Schoenfield's Sonatina.

The McGill/McHale Trio says, "We've had such a great time performing together as a trio over the last few years, in particular exploring a lot of lesser-known music and discovering some real hidden gems, which we're looking forward to sharing with you all in this virtual concert. It has been a testing time for so many people around the globe, and the arts community has had to adjust to various new realities as we live through this pandemic. Although we all miss that irreplaceable experience of music-making in person with a live audience, we are so grateful to Shriver Hall Concert Series for arranging this online concert to replace our Baltimore début performance this month, and we would like to thank each and every one of you for supporting this wonderful series."

Ticket holders can watch the concert on demand for three days after the premiere and also have access to a post-concert chat with the artists moderated by Executive Director of Shriver Hall Concert Series, Catherine Cochran. In the pre-recorded conversation, the trio members discuss the intersection of their roles as artists and their roles as citizens. Learn more about the McGill brothers' journey from their childhood in the south side of Chicago to their current posts as principals of major American orchestras and advocates for social change. Michael McHale talks about identity struggles surrounding being Irish and the similar issues Ireland wrestled with during its own profound internal divisions.

Concert Information
Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 5:30pm EST
Concert available On-Demand for ticket holders through Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Tickets: $15. Tickets include concert access and on-demand streaming of the concert for three days following, plus access to a post-concert Q&A with artists.
Link: www.shriverconcerts.org/concert/mcgill-mchale-trio

McGill/McHale Trio
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Demarre McGill, flute
Michael McHale, piano

CHRIS ROGERSON: A Fish Will Rise
POULENC: Sonata for Flute and Piano
DVOŘÁK: Slavonic Dance No. 8 (arr. Webster)
GUILLAUME CONNESSON: Techno-Parade
DEBUSSY: "Jardins sous la pluie" from Estampes
POULENC: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
PAUL SCHOENFIELD: Sonatina

Performance to be followed by Artist Q&A

About the McGill McHale Trio
The McGill/McHale Trio was founded in September 2014 when clarinetist Anthony McGill and his brother, flutist Demarre McGill, were featured artists in a residency at Bowling Green University in Ohio. Pianist Michael McHale joined them in concert for the first time during that residency, and it was immediately clear that the Trio had a great future in store. Since then, they've released an album on Cedille Records, collaborated with Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, and given concerts in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Tulsa, among other cities.

Clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music's most recognizable and multifaceted figures. He serves as the principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic - that orchestra's first African-American principal player - and maintains a dynamic international solo and chamber music career. Hailed for his "trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character" (The New York Times), McGill is an ardent advocate for helping music education reach underserved communities and for addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music. He was honored to take part in the inauguration of President Obama, performing alongside violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Gabriela Montero. McGill is the recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize (2020).

Chicago native Demarre McGill is recognized internationally as a soloist, recitalist, chamber, and orchestral musician, as well as an educator, and has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Grant Park, San Diego, and Baltimore symphonies. Now principal flute of the Seattle Symphony, he previously served as principal flute of the Dallas, San Diego, Florida, and Santa Fe Opera orchestras and as acting principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony. McGill is Associate Professor of Flute at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and an artist-faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival.

Michael McHale was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and now resides in London, England. Following studies at the University of Cambridge and Royal Academy of Music, McHale has gone on to become one of Ireland's leading concert pianists. He has performed with many major ensembles including the Minnesota and Hallé orchestras, and the Moscow, Bournemouth, BBC, BBC Scottish, Jacksonville, and London symphonies. In addition to solo recitals and festival appearances, he collaborates with Sir James Galway, Michael Collins, Dame Felicity Lott, and Camerata Pacifica, among others, and his extensive discography encompasses over 25 solo and chamber music albums.

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