Anthony McGill was born on July 17, 1979 in Cincinnati. He graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan when he was 15 years old. He furthered his studies by entering the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He was only 21 when he became the associate principal clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He is now the principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Did You Know?
Anthony McGill's older brother, Demarre, is the principal flutist of the Florida Orchestra. He also graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and received a Master of Music degree from Juilliard School.
Gabriela Montero
Gabriela Montero was born in Caracas, Venezuela on May 10, 1970. At the young age of 4, she was already improvising on the piano; a gift that she continues to nurture to this day. She made her concert debut when she was 8 and won the Baldwin National Competition and AMSA Young Artist International Piano Competition when she was 12. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1993. In 1995, she won a Bronze Medal at the 13th International Chopin Piano Competition. Truly, Montero is fast becoming one of the worlds' most sought after classical pianists.
Did You Know?
She considers the concert pianist, Martha Argerich, as an important mentor and influence. It was Argerich who encouraged Montero to further explore her talent in improvising and to not be afraid of sharing it with her audience.
Itzhak Perlman
Born on August 31, 1945 in Tel Aviv, Israel, Itzhak Perlman is a violin virtuoso, conductor and music educator. He studied at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv then continued to Juilliard School. He had his professional debut at Carnegie hall in 1963 and in 1964, won in the Leventritt Competition. Perlman received the Medal of Liberty in 1986, the National Medal of Arts in 2000 and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2003. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from the Juilliard School, where he also teaches. He has also won several Grammy's and Emmy's, performed in numerous concerts and appeared on various television shows.
Ma, McGill, Montero and Perlman performed after Vice-President Joe Biden was sworn in.
Did You Know?
Perlman had polio when he was 4 years old which resulted in the permanent paralysis of his legs; a fact that didn't deter this gifted musician.
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