CCM Professor Demarre McGill featured in 'The Flute View' cover story

McGill shares these confessions with The Flute View in an artist interview that is featured on the cover of the online magazine’s June 2020 edition. He also speaks to the magazine about his performing career, upcoming projects, challenges and inspirations. The story is available online.

Winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, McGill is a leading soloist, recitalist and chamber and orchestral musician. In addition to teaching at CCM, he is the principal flutist at the Seattle Symphony, an artist-faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and School and is a founding member of the Myriad Trio and the McGill/McHale Trio.

In his Q-and-A with The Flute View, McGill talks about his upcoming releases, which include “The Eye of Night” with the Myriad Trio; music for flute, clarinet and piano with the McGill/McHale Trio; and a recording of flute, clarinet and orchestra works with his brother, Anthony McGill.

He also shares that he wants to do more to use music and his experience of becoming a professional musician to help others find their path in life. “I’ve done things in the past, via classes and talks at many institutions, to try to inspire and help others reach their potential, but I really need and want to do a lot more of this, especially for people in underserved communities,” he says.

Although his summer festival engagements were canceled, McGill says he still looks forward to teaching privately throughout the summer as well as teaching his CCM studio in the fall. McGill is also working on a commissioning project with his brother and pianist Michael McHale over the next few months.

McGill also gives some advice for young flutists:

“I would encourage them to keep in mind that we are all learning how to play the flute so that we can make music," he tells The Flute View. "It’s so easy to forget that that’s the point of it all. We spend countless hours, days, and eventually years, trying to improve the technical aspects of playing the instrument, while not believing that the sounds coming out of our flutes have the potential to inspire, brighten moods, and change lives. If a young flutist is fully aware of this, it provides context for all of the technical exercises they should be practicing, and those exercises become more enjoyable because they have a purpose — for you to be able to have the freedom to bring any piece of music, regardless of difficulty, to life.”

Read the full interview on The Flute View’s website.