Island Jazz and UPEI Music Department are pleased to present the Virginia MacDonald Quartet in concert celebrating the release of her debut album “In Search Of …?” at UPEI’s Steel Recital Hall on Wednesday July 8th at 7:30pm.    Many thanks to show sponsor Concertia Technologies for their support. 

Canadian-born, New York-based, Juno Award-winning clarinetist Virginia MacDonald has established herself as a leading voice of her generation. With twenty-plus albums under her belt as a collaborator and sidewoman, she has been described by legendary clarinetist Doreen Ketchens as playing “like a scholar, very refined with plenty of soul.” Virginia maintains a busy international performance schedule across North America and Europe regularly appearing at renowned venues such as Birdland, Smalls, Ronnie Scott’s, Le Duc des Lombards, and Dizzy’s. Her festival appearances span the globe, with performances at the Detroit, Rochester, Torino, Montreal, and Toronto Jazz Festivals, among others.

Virginia has worked and performed with luminaries such as Dick Oatts, and Kirk Lightsey, and distinguished artists including Harold Mabern, Ira Coleman, Geoffrey Keezer, Bruce Barth, Joe Magnarelli, Xavier Davis, Eddie Henderson, Jerry Bergonzi, Rodney Whitaker, Quincy Davis, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Derrick Gardner, Neil Swainson, and Terry Clarke. Virginia is a frequent collaborator with Grammy Award-winning trombonist Michael Dease, appearing on three of his albums to date, and performing regularly as a member of his groups. Her composition “Up High, Down Low” is featured on his 2023 release Swing Low.

Virginia MacDonald’s long-awaited debut album “In Search Of…” is an apt showcase of the clarinetist’s prowess as a bandleader and her distinctive and modern approach to the clarinet which has earned widespread international acclaim. Recorded over two days in July 2024 at Acoustic Recording in Brooklyn, New York, “In Search Of…” features luminaries Geoffrey Keezer on piano and Ira Coleman on bass, alongside two preeminent voices of the next generation, drummer Curtis Nowosad, and featured vocalist Laura Anglade.  Comprised of six original compositions and two standards from the Jazz canon, the album is a testament to Virginia’s deeply personal, lyrical, and singular musical voice.

Virginia is a member of the Canadian Jazz Collective, a seven-piece ensemble comprised of award-winning Canadian jazz musicians. Their debut album Septology was nominated for the 2024 Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year. 

Virginia co-leads a quintet with renowned trumpet player Joe Magnarelli. The two recently recorded an album with frequent collaborator and acclaimed saxophonist Dick Oatts at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder Studio, slated for release in 2026. Virginia is also the co-leader of a quintet with Baltimore bass clarinetist Todd Marcus, which highlights their rare soprano and bass clarinet frontline. Both groups perform frequently across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. 

Alongside her other projects, Virginia enjoys working with her father, renowned Canadian jazz saxophonist Kirk MacDonald. She appears on several of Kirk’s albums, notably including his 2018 release Generations which features the esteemed pianist Harold Mabern. The two have toured together extensively, including multiple European tours and a tour of India in 2020.  In addition to her active performance career, Virginia is a highly sought-after educator. She has been a visiting artist at numerous post-secondary institutions around the world, including Princeton University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, McGill University, and University of Toronto. She is on faculty at the Jazz Institute at Brevard Music Center. 

CONCERT INFO:    Virginia MacDonald Quartet
Presented by Island Jazz and the UPEI Department of Music
7:30pm Wednesday July 8th 2026
UPEI Steel Recital Hall
Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $10 for students

Virginia MacDonald - clarinet
Jeff Johnston - piano
Mark Lewandowski - bass
Anthony Michelli - drums

Virginia MacDonald website:  https://virginiamacdonald.ca/

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