“Virginia MacDonald is one of the new, upcoming jazz musicians that is hitting the music scene today. Her playing and improvising skills are top-notch, and from the composing that I have heard from her, she is headed to break new ground in this genre of music.” Shelly Berger – Juno Award-winning bassist and composer
“Virginia MacDonald is going to turns some heads – she is a powerful new voice in the Canadian scene!” Mike Downes – Juno Award-winning bassist and composer
2019 Stingray Music Rising Star Award recipient and 2020 International Clarinetist Corona Competition first prize winner Virginia MacDonald has established herself as a respected and sought-after musician in the Canadian jazz scene. Virginia has performed extensively as both a leader and side woman at several venues across the city of Toronto, where she is currently based, including Koerner Hall, The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, The Jazz Bistro, The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, and has performed in several Canadian and American jazz festivals including The Cambridge Jazz Festival, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, the Beaches International Jazz Festival, the Kensington Market Jazz Festival, the TD Markham Jazz Festival and the Cape Breton Jazz Festival. Virginia has had the opportunity to work internationally in the United States, India, Spain, and France.
In 2018, Virginia received a $10,000 scholarship to take part in an exclusive five-week workshop at Berklee College of Music with Grammy Award-winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. While at Berklee, she had the chance to work with Terri extensively, along with Grammy Award-nominated saxophonist Tia Fuller. She also had the opportunity to perform at the Cambridge Jazz Festival, alongside Carrington and Fuller. She appeared on Juno Award-winning saxophonist Kirk MacDonald’s 2013 big band release, Common Ground, and his latest 2018 release with the legendary Harold Mabern, Generations: Ballads & Standards. In addition to her busy performance schedule, Virginia is an in-demand educator and has given masterclasses at universities and post-secondary music programs both locally and internationally, including workshops at McGill University (Montreal), the Global Music Institute (Delhi), and the True School of Music (Mumbai).
At this point in her career, Virginia is now focusing on composing and performing her own music. Her debut album is set to be released in 2021 and is comprised of original compositions written for jazz quintet.