Todd Marcus & Virginia MacDonald Quintet

“Mr. Marcus is probably the most inventive bass clarinetist working in straight-ahead jazz today… [and] lives in Baltimore, where he is a guiding light on the city’s jazz scene who doubles as an activist and organizer.” – The New York Times

Celebrate the start of the holiday season this Thanksgiving with Baltimore's very own hometown hero, Todd Marcus alongside Virginia MacDonald! 

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.

Based in Baltimore, Todd Marcus is one of the few artists worldwide to focus on the bass clarinet as a main instrument in modern jazz. Self-taught in jazz, his music offers a strong melodic sensibility, draws from elements of his community work, and often incorporates the Middle Eastern influences of his Egyptian-American heritage. Marcus has released six albums and worked with other jazz artists such as Gary Bartz, Bennie Maupin, Don Byron, Ralph Peterson, Warren Wolf, Sean Jones, and Orrin Evans. Marcus balances his music career by running Intersection of Change, a nonprofit addressing poverty related issues in his Baltimore neighborhood. The organization runs a community arts program for children & adults, a recovery program for women overcoming drug addiction, an urban farm, and has achieved significant community revitalization by renovating abandoned building and vacant lots.

Juno Award-nominated clarinetist Virginia MacDonald has established herself as a rising star of her generation with for her lyrical and soulful clarinet playing. In 2020, Virginia was selected as the first-prize winner of the International Clarinetist Corona Competition and has recorded and performed with esteemed artists including Michael Dease, Ira Coleman, Harold Mabern, Geoffrey Keezer, Rodney Whitaker, Xavier Davis, Quincy Davis, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Bill Cunliffe, Randy Napoleon, Derrick Gardner, Kirk MacDonald, Pat Labarbera, Neil Swainson, and Terry Clarke. Virginia is also an in-demand educator and has led classes and masterclasses at many colleges around the world.