Virginia MacDonald - clarinet

Jean-Michel Pilc - keyboards

Valerie Lacombe - drums

Mark Lewandowski - bass

Juno Award-winning clarinetist Virginia MacDonald has established herself as a rising star of her generation. Known for her lyrical and soulful clarinet playing, Virginia has been described as a “powerful new voice in the Canadian scene” by Juno Award-winning bassist Mike Downes. As a highly in-demand bandleader, sidewoman, and composer, Virginia keeps a regular performance schedule across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Virginia has performed at jazz festivals globally including performances at Detroit Jazz Festival, Festival de Jazz Primavera, Rochester Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, and Montreal Jazz Festival, to name a few. Virginia has had the pleasure of performing abroad extensively in India, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, and the UK, and has performed at historic and prestigious venues including Koerner Hall, Ronnie Scott’s, Birdland, Bimhuis, Dizzy’s Club, Le Duc Des Lombards, Jazzclub Unterfahrt, and Smalls.

In 2020, Virginia was selected as the first-prize winner of the International Clarinetist Corona Competition; judges included Anat Cohen, Victor Goines, Ken Peplowski, and Doreen Ketchens. Virginia was recently chosen as one of three finalists for the Toronto Art Foundation’s 2024 Breakthrough Jazz Artist Award. Some of Virginia’s other accolades include being selected as a Stingray Rising Star Award recipient in 2019, and being selected as one of three finalists for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Jazz Artist Award in 2021. In 2023, Virginia was selected to headline the International Clarinet Association’s 50th anniversary celebration at ClarinetFest in Denver, Colorado.

Virginia has recorded and performed with esteemed artists including Michael Dease, Ira Coleman, Dick Oatts, Harold Mabern, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Magnarelli, Derrick Gardner, Bruce Barth, Rodney Whitaker, Xavier Davis, Quincy Davis, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Bill Cunliffe, Randy Napoleon, Jon Gordon, Kirk MacDonald, Pat Labarbera, Neil Swainson, and Terry Clarke. Virginia is a member of the Canadian Jazz Collective, a seven-piece ensemble comprised of award-winning and established Canadian jazz musicians. Virginia was featured on the Canadian Jazz Collective’s debut album “Septology”, which was nominated for a Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year in 2024.