The acclaimed Anthony McGill<\/strong>, principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic, makes his mark on Chautauqua Auditorium on August 4<\/a>. McGill will bring to life Carl Maria von Weber\u2019s First Clarinet Concerto and Premi\u00e8re Rhapsodie<\/em> by Claude Debussy. The orchestral centerpiece of the show is Igor Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird<\/em> Suite \u2014 an exciting and dramatic musical fairytale drawn from generations of folklore.<\/p>\n Preceding McGill is a thrilling new overture, and Colorado Music Festival commission, by Chinese composer Wang Jie. The virtuosic Jie weaves a musical program inspired by a 12th-century poem which was written by celebrated poet-writer-artist Su Dongpo. It combines the artistry of Dongpo\u2019s ode to the beauty of mountainous earth with Jie\u2019s own passion for rock climbing.<\/p>\n Learn about this fantastical evening of music<\/a> below!<\/p>\n McGill joined the world-renowned symphony orchestra in 2014. He\u2019s the first African-American principal clarinet in the orchestra\u2019s 180-year history. Prior to this achievement, he performed as principal clarinet for the Metropolitan Opera and as associate principal clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n Administered by the world-renowned Lincoln Center for the Performing arts, the Avery Fisher Prize<\/a> is one of the most significant awards given to classical musicians. It recognizes those \u201cwho represent the highest level of excellence and whose vision and leadership have expanded the reach of classical music.\u201d Previous Avery Fisher Prize winners include such musical artists as Murray Perahia, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Andr\u00e9 Watts, Midori, Emerson String Quartet, and others.<\/p>\n Anthony McGill was inspired to pursue clarinet during his childhood after watching his brother, Demarre McGill, play flute. Demarre McGill<\/a> is principal flutist for the Seattle Symphony, preceded by the same position at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and his position as Acting principal flute at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The brothers recorded the albums Winged Creatures<\/em> and Portraits<\/em> together.<\/p>\n As described in his artistic biography<\/a>, McGill graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he\u2019s currently the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair. He also serves as the Artistic Director of Juilliard\u2019s Music Advancement Program (MAP), which trains students from diverse backgrounds on classical music. Guided by philanthropy, McGill co-founded the Weston Sprott and Anthony McGill MAP Summer Scholarship Fund in 2020. Last year, the Fund received a permanent endowment grant of $50 million to continue supporting musical students in underserved communities.<\/p>\n In response to the death of George Floyd in May 2020, McGill published a video<\/a> on Facebook in which he played \u201cAmerica the Beautiful\u201d on clarinet and ended his performance by bending both knees, a gesture towards Colin Kaepernick\u2019s silent act of protest. The video was shared widely online, NPR wrote<\/a>, and it inspired similar video responses, including a somber solo performance of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d by Billy Hunter, principal trumpet with the Metropolitan Opera.<\/p>\n In a 2021 interview<\/a>, the Poetry Society of America asked McGill, \u201cWhat do you see as the role of art in public life at this moment in time?\u201d He responded, \u201cI see the role of art as a reminder of our shared humanity and capacity for love and kindness. Art shows us that we can progress together and unite around values of dignity and respect for our differences. It is a medium through which ideas that change the world are delivered. Humanity slowly evolves through self-critique, examination, and expression delivered by artist messengers. Art has the power to describe our present situation, examine the mistakes of our past, and imagine a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n With roots in Slavic folklore<\/a>, the Firebird is a beautiful bird with golden feathers. If someone finds one of its feathers, it foretells a difficult journey for them. The tale<\/a> at the center of Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird<\/em> follows a young prince who finds a golden feather and sets about to free a group of spellbound maidens from the clutches of an evil sorcerer. He falls in love with one of the maidens, and with the help of the Firebird\u2019s magical feather, he breaks the spell and defeats the sorcerer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s regarded<\/a> that Stravinsky\u2019s creation arrived somewhat fatefully. Stravinsky was 27 years old when he was approached by Sergei Diaghilev, who was founder of the Ballets Russes in Paris. Diaghilev needed a composition for a ballet, and he\u2019d already approached four other well-regarded Russian composers \u2014 Nikolai Tcherepnin, Anatoly Liadov, Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Sokolov. None of them accepted the offer, which paved the way for Stravinsky to make his major break. The ballet made its debut in June 1910, and its critical acclaim launched the composer into fast success. Stravinsky was later commissioned by Diaghilev to compose the ballets Petrushka<\/em> in 1911 and the Rite of Spring<\/em> in 1913.<\/p>\n In the years that followed the ballet\u2019s debut, Stravinsky created three different suites<\/a> from its score in the years 1911, 1919, and 1945. The 1919 suite consists of five movements, and it\u2019s the suite which will be featured in this program\u2019s performance. Lush musical details reflect the story and characters in evocative ways: low strings for the evil sorcerer, woodwinds and strings for the Firebird and the maidens, brass for dramatic and climactic action, and strings accompanied by the horn for the conclusion.<\/p>\n Firebird<\/em> premiered during a transitional period, and as such, its musical features reflect that time<\/a>. It embodies the expressive and dramatic characteristics of the Romantic period, which produced such composers as Frederic Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, to name a few. It also features the free and experimental spirit of 20th-Century classical music, which was defined by composers like Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Gustav Holst, and Arnold Schoenberg, among others.<\/p>\n Su Dongpo was a prolific Chinese writer-artist of the Song Dynasty. He was also<\/a> a celebrated statesman, calligrapher, and pharmacologist, and by Jie\u2019s own description of him, he was a notoriously strong personality. A portion of Dongpo\u2019s poem at the center of Jie\u2019s inspiration reads:<\/p>\n \u201cThe true face of Mount Lu is lost to my sight, For it is right in this Our spirit resides at the summit, In her world premiere composition, Jie marries Dongpo\u2019s beautifully etched poetry with her own passion for rock climbing and mountaineering. In this way, she creates a fresh and imaginative musical letter to the natural world and the greater universe.<\/p>\n Like Dongpo, who was singular and legendary in his own right, Jie is a prolific and creative storyteller. Her artistic biography<\/a> says, \u201cpart cartoon character, part virtuoso, composer Wang Jie has spent the last two decades nudging classical music and its concert audiences into spectacular frontiers.\u201d<\/p>\n Known as a piano prodigy by age 5 and raised within the influential environment of China\u2019s Cultural Revolution<\/a>, Jie pursued music passionately as a child before training at Manhattan School of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music in New York. She has since received heaps of critical praise. In 2011, the New York Concert Review<\/em> wrote about \u201cA Longing for Spring, A Multi-language Song Cycle\u201d: \u201cThere are so many ways to appreciate this composition, through sight, sound, and meaning, that interest never lapsed.\u201d The New York Times<\/em> called her chamber opera \u201cFrom the Other Sky\u201d \u201cvibrant\u201d and \u201cpolished,\u201d while Classicalsource.com wrote that it\u2019s \u201cfar more fun than one is supposed to have a concert of \u2018serious\u2019 music.\u201d<\/p>\n Likewise, Jie\u2019s contemporaries have praised<\/a> her innovative musical art. Conductor Joann Falletta remarked, \u201cWang Jie is a unique and complex voice, combining a fierce intelligence with a vulnerable beauty in orchestral music that virtually shimmers with color.\u201d Composer Derek Bermel called her \u201ca musician with a great sense of humor and natural theatrical flair.\u201d And violinist Inmo Yang said, \u201cWorking with Jie was like observing the formation of a glorious rainbow. No matter how heavy the fog, her music finds its way to a radiant smile.\u201d<\/p>\n With seminal works of beloved music and unparalleled talent in clarinetist Anthony McGill and composer Wang Jie, Colorado Music Festival audiences can look forward to an imaginative evening with iconic music and creative musical storytelling.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta button_url=”https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/concert\/stravinskys-firebird-clarinet-star-anthony-mcgill\/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Buy Tickets” _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Don’t miss this concert featuring clarinetist Anthony McGill, a world premiere by composer Wang Jie, and Stravinsky’s iconic Firebird.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The acclaimed Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic, makes his mark on Chautauqua Auditorium on August 4. The orchestral centerpiece of the show is Igor Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird Suite \u2014 an exciting and dramatic musical fairytale drawn from generations of folklore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":271658,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" story by Natalie Clare<\/em><\/p> The acclaimed Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic, makes his mark on Chautauqua Auditorium on August 4<\/a>. McGill will bring to life Carl Maria von Weber\u2019s First Clarinet Concerto and Premi\u00e8re Rhapsodie<\/em> by Claude Debussy. The orchestral centerpiece of the show is Igor Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird<\/em> Suite \u2014 an exciting and dramatic musical fairytale drawn from generations of folklore.<\/p> Preceding McGill is a thrilling new overture, and Colorado Music Festival commission, by Chinese composer Wang Jie. The virtuosic Jie weaves a musical program inspired by a 12th-century poem which was written by celebrated poet-writer-artist Su Dongpo. It combines the artistry of Dongpo\u2019s ode to the beauty of mountainous earth with Jie\u2019s own passion for rock climbing.<\/p> Learn about this fantastical evening of music<\/a> below!<\/p> Administered by the world-renowned Lincoln Center for the Performing arts, the Avery Fisher Prize<\/a> is one of the most significant awards given to classical musicians. It recognizes those \u201cwho represent the highest level of excellence and whose vision and leadership have expanded the reach of classical music.\u201d Previous Avery Fisher Prize winners include such musical artists as Murray Perahia, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Andr\u00e9 Watts, Midori, Emerson String Quartet, and others.<\/p> Anthony McGill was inspired to pursue clarinet during his childhood after watching his brother, Demarre McGill, play flute. Demarre McGill<\/a> is principal flutist for the Seattle Symphony, preceded by the same position at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and his position as Acting principal flute at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The brothers recorded the albums Winged Creatures<\/em> and Portraits<\/em> together.<\/p> As described in his artistic biography<\/a>, McGill graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he\u2019s currently the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair. He also serves as the Artistic Director of Juilliard\u2019s Music Advancement Program (MAP), which trains students from diverse backgrounds on classical music. Guided by philanthropy, McGill co-founded the Weston Sprott and Anthony McGill MAP Summer Scholarship Fund in 2020. Last year, the Fund received a permanent endowment grant of $50 million to continue supporting musical students in underserved communities.<\/p> In response to the death of George Floyd in May 2020, McGill published a video<\/a> on Facebook in which he played \u201cAmerica the Beautiful\u201d on clarinet and ended his performance by bending both knees, a gesture towards Colin Kaepernick\u2019s silent act of protest. The video was shared widely online, NPR wrote<\/a>, and it inspired similar video responses, including a somber solo performance of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d by Billy Hunter, principal trumpet with the Metropolitan Opera.<\/p> In a 2021 interview<\/a>, the Poetry Society of America asked McGill, \u201cWhat do you see as the role of art in public life at this moment in time?\u201d He responded, \u201cI see the role of art as a reminder of our shared humanity and capacity for love and kindness. Art shows us that we can progress together and unite around values of dignity and respect for our differences. It is a medium through which ideas that change the world are delivered. Humanity slowly evolves through self-critique, examination, and expression delivered by artist messengers. Art has the power to describe our present situation, examine the mistakes of our past, and imagine a better future.\u201d<\/p> With roots in Slavic folklore<\/a>, the Firebird is a beautiful bird with golden feathers. If someone finds one of its feathers, it foretells a difficult journey for them. The tale<\/a> at the center of Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird<\/em> follows a young prince who finds a golden feather and sets about to free a group of spellbound maidens from the clutches of an evil sorcerer. He falls in love with one of the maidens, and with the help of the Firebird\u2019s magical feather, he breaks the spell and defeats the sorcerer.<\/p> It\u2019s regarded<\/a> that Stravinsky\u2019s creation arrived somewhat fatefully. Stravinsky was 27 years old when he was approached by Sergei Diaghilev, who was founder of the Ballets Russes in Paris. Diaghilev needed a composition for a ballet, and he\u2019d already approached four other well-regarded Russian composers \u2014 Nikolai Tcherepnin, Anatoly Liadov, Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Sokolov. None of them accepted the offer, which paved the way for Stravinsky to make his major break. The ballet made its debut in June 1910, and its critical acclaim launched the composer into fast success. Stravinsky was later commissioned by Diaghilev to compose the ballets Petrushka<\/em> in 1911 and the Rite of Spring<\/em> in 1913.<\/p> In the years that followed the ballet\u2019s debut, Stravinsky created three different suites<\/a> from its score in the years 1911, 1919, and 1945. The 1919 suite consists of five movements, and it\u2019s the suite which will be featured in this program\u2019s performance. Lush musical details reflect the story and characters in evocative ways: low strings for the evil sorcerer, woodwinds and strings for the Firebird and the maidens, brass for dramatic and climactic action, and strings accompanied by the horn for the conclusion.<\/p> Firebird<\/em> premiered during a transitional period, and as such, its musical features reflect that time<\/a>. It embodies the expressive and dramatic characteristics of the Romantic period, which produced such composers as Frederic Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, to name a few. It also features the free and experimental spirit of 20th-Century classical music, which was defined by composers like Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Gustav Holst, and Arnold Schoenberg, among others.<\/p> \u201cThe true face of Mount Lu is lost to my sight, For it is right in this Our spirit resides at the summit, In her world premiere composition, Jie marries Dongpo\u2019s beautifully etched poetry with her own passion for rock climbing and mountaineering. In this way, she creates a fresh and imaginative musical letter to the natural world and the greater universe.<\/p> Like Dongpo, who was singular and legendary in his own right, Jie is a prolific and creative storyteller. Her artistic biography<\/a> says, \u201cpart cartoon character, part virtuoso, composer Wang Jie has spent the last two decades nudging classical music and its concert audiences into spectacular frontiers.\u201d<\/p> Known as a piano prodigy by age 5 and raised within the influential environment of China\u2019s Cultural Revolution<\/a>, Jie pursued music passionately as a child before training at Manhattan School of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music in New York. She has since received heaps of critical praise. In 2011, the New York Concert Review<\/em> wrote about \u201cA Longing for Spring, A Multi-language Song Cycle\u201d: \u201cThere are so many ways to appreciate this composition, through sight, sound, and meaning, that interest never lapsed.\u201d The New York Times<\/em> called her chamber opera \u201cFrom the Other Sky\u201d \u201cvibrant\u201d and \u201cpolished,\u201d while Classicalsource.com wrote that it\u2019s \u201cfar more fun than one is supposed to have a concert of \u2018serious\u2019 music.\u201d<\/p>![\"Anthony](\"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/080422_720.png\")
<\/p>\nMore About Anthony McGill<\/h1>\n
\u00a0<\/h4>\n
Anthony McGill made history with the New York Philharmonic.<\/h4>\n
He was awarded the esteemed Avery Fisher Prize in 2020.<\/h4>\n
Musical talent runs in the family.<\/h4>\n
Anthony McGill is supporting rising classical music stars.<\/h4>\n
You may have seen Anthony McGill\u2019s viral video of \u201cAmerica the Beautiful.\u201d<\/h4>\n
He views art as a way to imagine a better future.<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/080722_720.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMagic, Love, and Renewal: Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird<\/em><\/h1>\n
\u00a0<\/h4>\n
The story follows the lead of beloved fairy tales.<\/h4>\n
Firebird<\/em> was composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1909.<\/h4>\n
Firebird<\/em> started as a ballet but Stravinsky reimagined it for concert performance.<\/h4>\n
It embodies both the Romantic and 20th-Century musical eras.<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Wang-Jie-2-1024x836.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/h1>\n
Wang Jie\u2019s Journey to the Mountain<\/h1>\n
\u00a0<\/h4>\n
The world premiere is inspired by a 12th-century poem about a mountain.<\/h4>\n
mountain that I reside.<\/p>\n
For it is the only place that we fly,
On the scaly backs of our mountains.
The truth unleashes from the sky.\u201d<\/p>\nThe composition reflects Wang Jie\u2019s creatively brilliant musical approach.<\/h4>\n
Critical praise of Wang Jie\u2019s work promises a colorful and charming evening of music.<\/h4>\n
More About Anthony McGill<\/h1>
\u00a0<\/h4>
Anthony McGill made history with the New York Philharmonic.<\/h4>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_7629-e1350511246980-1024x748-1-300x219.jpeg\")
McGill joined the world-renowned symphony orchestra in 2014. He\u2019s the first African-American principal clarinet in the orchestra\u2019s 180-year history. Prior to this achievement, he performed as principal clarinet for the Metropolitan Opera and as associate principal clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>He was awarded the esteemed Avery Fisher Prize in 2020.<\/h4>
Musical talent runs in the family.<\/h4>
Anthony McGill is supporting rising classical music stars.<\/h4>
You may have seen Anthony McGill\u2019s viral video of \u201cAmerica the Beautiful.\u201d<\/h4>
He views art as a way to imagine a better future.<\/h4>
Magic, Love, and Renewal: Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird<\/em><\/h1>
\u00a0<\/h4>
The story follows the lead of beloved fairy tales.<\/h4>
Firebird<\/em> was composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1909.<\/h4>
Firebird<\/em> started as a ballet but Stravinsky reimagined it for concert performance.<\/h4>
It embodies both the Romantic and 20th-Century musical eras.<\/h4>
\u00a0<\/h1>
Wang Jie\u2019s Journey to the Mountain<\/h1>
\u00a0<\/h4>
The world premiere is inspired by a 12th-century poem about a mountain.<\/h4>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Wang-Jie-2-300x245.jpeg\")
<\/a>Su Dongpo was a prolific Chinese writer-artist of the Song Dynasty. He was also<\/a> a celebrated statesman, calligrapher, and pharmacologist, and by Jie\u2019s own description of him, he was a notoriously strong personality. A portion of Dongpo\u2019s poem at the center of Jie\u2019s inspiration reads:<\/p>
mountain that I reside.<\/p>
For it is the only place that we fly,
On the scaly backs of our mountains.
The truth unleashes from the sky.\u201d<\/p>The composition reflects Wang Jie\u2019s creatively brilliant musical approach.<\/h4>
Critical praise of Wang Jie\u2019s work promises a colorful and charming evening of music.<\/h4>