
New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill. Photo by Matthew Septimus
“History is revisited at the New York Philharmonic nightly, as iconic classical pieces are brought to life,” reports Maurice DuBois on Friday (2/28) at WCBS-TV (New York). “There’s a different type of history being made there too…. Playing in the middle of it all is 40-year-old Anthony McGill. He holds the prominent position of the Philharmonic’s principal clarinet … the first African-American to do so since it was founded in 1842…. ‘That sort of representation does matter,’ says McGill. ‘To see people that do what you love to do, that come from places you came from, maybe they look like you, maybe are the same gender as you, all these things we can relate to.’ … McGill sees it as his mission to teach and inspire the next generation…. He is the artistic director of Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, or MAP. It’s designed to serve students from diverse backgrounds who are underrepresented in classical music…. ‘We need representation of different peoples, different faces, different voices,’ says McGill. ‘There are so many great classical musicians of color and some in orchestras, but the number is way too small…. What can we do to change?’ ”