"Principal Brothers" features amazing wind principals from some of our major symphony orchestras - Demarre McGill, flute; Titus Underwood, oboe; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Bryan Young, bassoon, with new works written for them by James Lee III as well as works by Villa Lobos & selections from Bach Art of the Fugue
PROGRAM:
J. S. Bach: Selections from The Art of Fugue
James Lee III: Principal Brothers No. 1
H. Villa-Lobos: Quartet
Lee: Principal Brothers No. 2
~ intermission ~
Lee: Principal Brothers No. 3
Valerie Coleman: Rubispheres
Lee: Principal Brothers No. 4
Errollyn Wallen: Commission by PCMS
Bach: Selections from The Art of Fugue
Demarre McGill, flute
Titus Underwood, oboe
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Bryan Young, bassoon
Bio:
This new program highlights Demarre McGill, Titus Underwood, Anthony McGill, and Bryan Young — four Black artists who are orchestral principals and inspirational leaders in the field. Featuring a new set of pieces written for the participating musicians by James Lee III titled Principal Brothers, other works include chamber music selections for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon in various configurations.
Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Demarre McGill has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Seattle, San Diego, Winnipeg, Hawaii, Hartford and Baltimore symphony orchestras and, at age 15, the Chicago Symphony. Demarre has participated in festivals around the globe, is co-founder of Art of Élan, a founding member of the Myriad Trio, and has participated in the Marlboro, Moab, Santa Fe, Sarasota, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Stellenbosch chamber music festivals, to name a few. Along with clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Michael McHale, the McGill/McHale Trio was founded in 2014. Their debut recording, "Portraits," was released in 2017 to rave reviews and "Winged Creatures," recorded with Anthony McGill and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra was released two years later. Demarre performs, coaches and presents master classes throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and South Africa. Committed to teaching, he holds the position of Associate Professor of Flute at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, is a member of the Artist-Faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School, as well as the National Orchestral Institute at the University of Maryland. Now principal flute of the Seattle Symphony, Demarre previously served as principal flute of the Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra as well as acting principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. A native of Chicago, Demarre studied there with Susan Levitin, and continued his studies at The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School with Jeffrey Khaner and Julius Baker.
Titus Underwood is the Principal Oboist of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Gateways Music Festival, and co-principal of the Chineke! Orchestra. Underwood is also the Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music. In addition, Underwood is a faculty artist at the Aspen Music Festival, and National Youth Orchestras at Carnegie Hall. A fierce advocate for amplifying voices of the historically underrepresented, he co-founded the Black Orchestral Network (BON) and Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions (SOPA). His personal endeavors in digital media have lead to multiple releases, notably the short film A Tale of Two Tails. Underwood also holds the honors of a Sphinx Medal of Excellence award for his ongoing commitment to leadership and community, and an Emmy Award for his work executive producing “We Are Nashville” with the Nashville Symphony. Underwood is a graduate of The Juilliard School, The Colburn School, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Visit www.titusunderwood.com to learn more.
Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times), clarinetist Anthony McGill enjoys a dynamic international solo and chamber music career and is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic — the first African-American principal player in the organization's history. He is the recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards, and was named Musical America’s 2024 Instrumentalist of the Year. American Stories, his album with the Pacifica Quartet, was nominated for a GRAMMY® for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. McGill appears as a soloist with top orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. He performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams. As a chamber musician, McGill is a collaborator of the Brentano, Daedalus, Guarneri, JACK, Miró, Pacifica, Shanghai, Takács, and Tokyo Quartets, and performs with leading artists including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Gloria Chien, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang. He serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School and is the Artistic Director for Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. He holds the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 2020, McGill’s #TakeTwoKnees campaign protesting the death of George Floyd and historic racial injustice went viral. In 2023, he partnered with Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative to organize a classical music industry convening 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. He is a Backun Artist and performs exclusively on Backun Clarinets.
Bryan Young is the bassoonist and co-founder of the Poulenc Trio and principal bassoonist of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the Washington Post writes that Bryan Young's playing "dances with a lightness and grace uncommon for his instrument.' Bryan has premiered new works written for him by composers Megan DiGeorgio, Octavio Vazquez, Steven Gerber, Thomas Benjamin and David Fetter, in addition to more than 30 new works he co-commissioned and premiered with the Poulenc Trio.
Bryan is on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory, and has has been invited as featured lecturer and given masterclasses at universities around the country. In addition to his musical activities, Bryan has an extensive career in technology, having founded Intertwine Systems, a healthcare focused software company.
Bryan is the Board Chair of Chamber Music America, President of the Board of the Candlelight Concert Society in Maryland, and a board member at the Boulanger Initiative.
