Please contribute now to the Chamber Music Society of Detroit’s CameraMusic Fund. 100% of all contributions to this fund are used to help us pay performance fees to the artists for their LIVE CameraMusic webcast concerts. Thank you!

ANTHONY MCGILL, CLARINET
ANNA POLONSKY, PIANO

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020

7:30 PM EDT: “Doors Open”
7:35 PM EDT: Pre-Concert Talk: Anthony McGill speaks with Thomas Holt, Professor of American and African American History at the University of Chicago
8:00 PM EDT: Concert begins

PROGRAM

Florence Price/Arr. McGill: Adoration
Leonard Bernstein: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
James Lee, III: Ad Anah?
Carlos Guastavino: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Allegro deciso
Andante
Rondo, Allegro spiritoso

Anthony McGill’s and Anna Polonsky’s program celebrates the diversity of the Americas, from the music of pioneering African American composer Florence Price to the Argentinian folk-inspired work of Carlos Guastavino, to Bernstein’s Clarinet Sonata, a synthesis of mid-20th century classical styles with jazz and Latin music, and finally to the music of contemporary African American composer (and Michigan native) James Lee III.

Clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. He is the New York Philharmonic’s first African-American principal player.  McGill was honored to take part in the inauguration of President Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams alongside Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma.  He appears regularly as a soloist with top orchestras and chamber ensembles around North America and has collaborated with Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang.  McGill previously served as the principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera.  He most recently appeared on the CMSDetroit series last season when he opened the 2019-2020 season performing Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with the Miro Quartet.

Anna Polonsky – who also appeared on the CMSD series last fall, with David Shifrin and Peter Wiley – is widely in demand as a concerto soloist and chamber musician and has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. She has collaborated with the Guarneri, Orion, and Shanghai Quartets, and with such artists as Mitsuko Uchida, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Goode, Emanuel Ax and Jaime Laredo.

ABOUT CameraMusic:

"Musica da camera" (the Italian term for "chamber music") takes on a whole new meaning during the COVID-19 crisis, as musicians everywhere find themselves isolated and unable to perform for live audiences. CameraMusic is the Chamber Music Society of Detroit's answer to this, inviting artists to perform live on camera over the Internet from wherever they are. All artists performing on CameraMusic are being compensated for their work.

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit is able to offer these free livestreams only with the generous support of our listeners. Every dollar contributed to the CMSD’s CameraMusic Fund helps to pay musicians for their live CameraMusic performances. Thank you!