Saturday, May 30, 2020

African-American New York Philharmonic Clarinetist Shares Anguished "America the Beautiful" Musical Protest over the Death of George Floyd


AFRICAN-AMERICAN
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC PRINCIPAL CLARINETIST
ANTHONY McGILL
LEADS ONLINE MUSICAL DEMONSTRATION
#TakeTwoKnees
IN PROTEST OF THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GhsioktMj8&feature=youtu.behttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GhsioktMj8&feature=youtu.be


NEW YORK - Clarinetist Anthony McGill, the first ever African-American Principal player of the New York Philharmonic, has posted a powerful musical protest video in a demonstration against the death of George Floyd and historic racial injustice. The video has received over 50,000 views in less than two days and is now sparking a movement.

In the 1½ minute video, Mr. McGill performs his own arrangement of America the Beautiful, with a melody that wavers between optimism and anguish and concludes with a final chord that doesn't resolve. At the end, Mr. McGill falls to both knees with his arms behind his back. He accompanied the video with a personal and passionate post (facebook link above, text version available here) encouraging people to #TakeTwoKnees in support of the struggle for justice and decency.

Opera singer Lawrence Brownlee, flutist Demarre McGill, composer and flutist Allison Loggins-Hill, trombonist Weston Sprott, dancer Alicia Graf Mack, and trumpeter Billy Hunter are just some of the artists who have already posted videos in response.

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