He is the recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards, given to musicians who represent the highest level of musical excellence. Read The New York Times feature and watch the award ceremony.

Anthony McGill is the Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic — the first African-American principal player in the organization's history. He will tell you he is standing on the shoulders of the New York Philharmonic's previous two African-American players, Jerome Ashby, the first African-American associate principal player in the New York Philharmonic's horn section, and violinist Sanford Allen, the first African-American to become a regular member.

He gained international attention when he performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams.

He serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School where he is also the Artistic Director of the Music Advancement Program, and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he holds the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair.

As a chamber musician, McGill is a favorite collaborator of the Brentano, Daedalus, Guarneri, JACK, Miró, Pacifica, Shanghai, Takács, and Tokyo Quartets, as well as Inon Barnatan, Gloria Chien, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang. He has toured with Musicians from Marlboro and regularly performs for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. His festival appearances include Bravo! Vail, Marlboro, Mainly Mozart, Ravinia, Skaneateles, Tanglewood, and the Music@Menlo, Santa Fe, and Seattle Chamber Music Festivals.

McGill is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, and previously served as the Principal Clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera and Associate Principal Clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

He is an ardent advocate for helping music education reach underserved communities and for addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music. He serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School and also at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he holds the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair. He is the Artistic Director for Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, a weekend program dedicated to students who demonstrate a commitment to artistic excellence, which actively seeks young musicians from backgrounds underrepresented in classical music.

In 2021, The Juilliard School announced a permanent endowment grant of $50 million for its Music Advancement Program (MAP) from Crankstart, which funds full-tuition scholarships for all MAP students and program expansion. In 2020, in concert with a $30,000 charitable gift from the Avery Fisher Artist Program designated to a charity of McGill’s choice, McGill and Weston Sprott, Dean of the Preparatory Division of The Juilliard School, established the Weston Sprott and Anthony McGill MAP Summer Scholarship Fund so MAP students can take part in summer programs and festivals.

Since 2023, he has partnered with Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative to organize classical music industry convenings at EJI’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, in which leaders and artists in classical music examined America’s history of racial inequality and how this legacy continues to impact their work. On Juneteenth 2024, he was invited by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) to perform at the dedication of the National Monument to Freedom.

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, McGill launched a powerful musical protest campaign urging people to #TakeTwoKnees in demonstration against the death of George Floyd and historic racial injustice. His viral video encouraged hundreds of artists and citizens who amplified the message and responded to the protest with their own videos using the hashtag #TakeTwoKnees.

McGill has been covered in TheNew York Times and The New Yorker and has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, PBS, National Public Radio, Performance Today, From the Top, and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He has served as the Artist-in-Residence for WQXR. McGill recorded the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto with Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic. With the Pacifica Quartet he has released two albums, American Stories – featuring works by Valerie Coleman, Richard Danielpour, James Lee III, and Ben Shirleychronicling unique perspectives shaped by the American experience – and also Mozart and Brahms Clarinet Quintets.

He and his brother, Demarre McGill, joined the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras & Allen Tinkham, to record Winged Creatures, an album of works for flute, clarinet, and orchestra. Demarre and Anthony also recorded Portraits with pianist Michael McHale.

Anthony and pianist Gloria Chien, who are longtime friends and frequent recital partners, released Here With You, an album of favorite works by Brahms, Weber, and Montgomery. McGill’s self-titled debut recording, also recorded with Chien, features early 20th century works by Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Poulenc. McGill serves on the board of directors for Cedille Records and the Harmony Program, and on the advisory councils for the InterSchool Orchestras of New York and Time In Children's Arts Initiative. He is a Backun Artist and performs exclusively on Backun Clarinets.

For additional background, please visit anthonymcgill.com.

July 2025 – Please do not edit without permission.