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Todd Marcus - Virginia MacDonald Quintet

  • The Lilypad 1353 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA, 02139 (map)

$25 advance / $30 at the door  / $15 students / 7pm doors / seated & standing

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Todd Marcus - Virginia MacDonald Quintet

  • Todd Marcus - bass clarinet

  • Virginia MacDonald - clarinet

  • Xavier Davis - piano

  • Blake Meister - bass

  • Eric Kennedy - drums



Since 2022, Baltimore bass clarinetist Todd Marcus and Toronto clarinetist Virginia MacDonald have been performing and touring together across the United States and Canada with their quintet. Their work together presents a lush ensemble that showcases the range of beauty and power by the clarinet in a modern jazz context, with repertoire comprised of original compositions by both bandleaders. They have performed at jazz festivals and prominent venues internationally including Smalls Jazz Club, the Toronto Jazz Festival, the International Clarinet Association, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Playing the clarinet is challenging (due technical and volume complexities) which leads most woodwind musicians to use saxophones and avoid using clarinets in more intense modern jazz. While the clarinet has a rich history in traditional New Orleans and Dixieland music, swing era big band contexts, and avant-garde free playing, it is significantly underutilized in modern straight-ahead jazz.

Marcus and MacDonald have filled this gap for the clarinet in modern jazz. Their unique solo and compositional voices have established a prominence and international reputation on their instruments in jazz today. Their musical partnership showcases the versatility of the clarinet and captures audiences with a new and unique musical experience.


Website: www.toddmarcusjazz.com & www.virginiamacdonald.ca 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/toddmarcus/ & www.facebook.com/virgfm 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/toddmarcusjazz/ & www.instagram.com/virgfm/ 

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/toddmarcusjazz

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Earlier Event: July 30
Free Lunchtime Concerts
Later Event: July 31
Free Lunchtime Concerts ~ R. G. Gallagher