This November, New York Philharmonic orchestra’s principal clarinettist Anthony McGill embarks on his tenure as the Barbican’s Milton Court Artist-in-Residence for 2023-24.
A celebrated clarinettist and the first African American person to hold a principal role at the New York Philharmonic, McGill will present five intimate concerts at Milton Court Concert Hall across the season. Beginning the residency alongside Britten Sinfonia, McGill performs a programme centring around the European Premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis’ concerto You Have the Right to Remain Silent. The emotionally charged piece is inspired by Davis’ first-hand experience of ‘driving while black’ in the USA after he was pulled over at gunpoint by a police officer one evening on his way to a concert. The performance, on Wednesday 29 November 2023, 7:30 pm, will also include a panel discussion between Anthony McGill, Anthony Davis and founding member of the Black Police Association in the UK and former police superintendent Leroy Logan MBE.
McGill’s tenure continues with a now-traditional masterclass for aspiring musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and members of the public (Thursday 30th Nov), followed by a recital performance with pianist Michael McHale of all-American works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Adolphus Hailstork, James Lee, and Jessie Montgomery (Sunday 3rd Dec).
The residency concludes in April 2024 when McGill will be joined by Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective for two concerts, featuring deeply personal chamber music by Brahms and Messiaen (Tue 23 Apr), culminating in Mozart’s soaring Gran Partita performed side-by-side with musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in this mainstay feature of the residency (Fri 26 Apr).
For further information, please visit https://www.barbican.org.uk/
Clarinetist Anthony McGill Monday, March 7, 2022 in Chicago. © Todd Rosenberg Photography
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