Bio

Excerpt from Fantasiestücke, Rasch und mit Feuer, Robert Schumann

CHRISTINE MACDONNELL: clarinet and woodwind specialist, is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans. Christine received her Master of Music degree in clarinet performance from The Juilliard School. New York performances include Radio City Music Hall, Paper Mill Playhouse, Albany Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Northeast Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. National performances include the Walnut Theatre and The Philly Pops in Philadelphia, John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. Christine has performed and lectured locally and performed abroad as principal clarinet in the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira in Brazil and the Nova Philharmonia Portuguesa in Portugal. Last year, during the pandemic, she was a featured woodwind artist in the XI Festival International de Sopros in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has served two US Presidents in the “President’s Own” Marine Band.  Christine has toured nationally with productions such as Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Falsettos.  A popular freelance musician in NYC, and Broadway regular on shows such as Aladdin, Phantom of the Opera, and The Lion King, she also plays with numerous chamber ensembles, and has accompanied artists such as Bernadette Peters, Florence Henderson, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra, Jr.  Currently she serves as a woodwind instructor at the United Nations International School, as well conducting master classes at various universities within the United States and Taiwan.  Her two classical CDs,“Enchanted Saint Saens” and “Clarinet Rhapsody” have been hailed as “beautifully played and well-deserved of its title”.  Her latest recording, “Chris’ Journey, A Whimsical Collage of Music”, is a piece specifically written for her. It is incredibly unique in that one artist, Christine MacDonnell, is performing all 11 woodwinds depicting various styles.  All three recordings are available online at amazon.com.  The Pandemic was a challenging time for performing musicians, and while sheltered in place, Christine used this opportunity to challenge her music further: utilizing YouTube, she masterfully created, arranged, and produced music videos (can be viewed @winds4you on YouTube). Via live stream, she continues to reach music lovers all around the globe.   Christine is also a Yamaha Performing Artist and a D’Addario Performing Artist.