Anthony McGill and Michael McHale

As one reviewer put it ‘When you have the services of an artist as suave and eloquent as clarinettist Anthony McGill, it only makes sense to put him in the spotlight and keep him there’. And that’s exactly what Milton Court’s Artist-in-Residence role aims to do, celebrating the talents of this remarkable artist in music that highlights the sheer range of his musicianship.

Following McGill’s concert with Britten Sinfonia, this programme offers a more intimate insight into his artistry, with works by Bernstein, Copland and Jessie Montgomery, whose compositions interweave classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, poetry and social consciousness. Like Copland, Adolphus Hailstork was taught by Nadia Boulanger, and his works fuse a unique take on European musical traditions with allusions to his African-American heritage.