Classical Music

Former Cincinnati Symphony Clarinetist Anthony McGill's Musical Activism Launches #TakeTwoKnees for Social Justice

In response to the murder of George Floyd, McGill posted video of himself playing “America the Beautiful” in a minor key — plaintive and haunting — before taking two knees and bowing his head. It’s impossible to watch it and not be moved to tears.

By Anne Arenstein

In May, the New York Philharmonic’s principal clarinetist and former Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra member Anthony McGill posted a statement and video in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. The statement read, in part: “We live alongside that reality all across America...

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November 29, 2023

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