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How did you first begin playing
the clarinet?
McGill: I grew up in Chicago. My older
brother [Demarre] began playing the flute
when we were kids, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. The first instrument I
chose was the saxophone. I was about nine
and they told me it was too big for me so I
was given the clarinet.
What is the Merit Music School
and what role did it play in your
introduction to classical music?
McGill: One of the earliest places I got
private lessons was at Chicago’s Merit
School of Music. At the time, it was a
tuition-free school. I got group and private lessons, theory and ear training — it
was really like a conservatory for kids. It
helped that it wasn’t prohibitive in terms
of tuition. I made wonderful friends and
still have a wonderful relationship with the
Merit School today. Like so many of these
programs, it was grassroots when it began.
Now it has grown, and reaches a ton of
kids around the city of Chicago.
of the Clarinet
Anthony McGill talks about his greatest sources
of inspiration—and sharing his gift with kids.
by Christianna McCausland
I
n March, Anthony McGill will be the guest sol