“I hope to keep creating, performing and growing” — the Virginia MacDonald interview

Ottawa Citizen – by Peter Hum – Nov 14, 2021

Toronto-based clarinetist Virginia MacDonald recently returned from a trip to the Maritimes, where, among other things, she did this:

That prestigious performance in Halifax was MacDonald’s 10th show this fall, and she has eight more gigs before the end of November, in Toronto, Montreal, Waterloo and Ottawa, where she will perform next Friday at GigSpace Performance Studio. You’d almost think that something like normalcy was returning to the 27-year-old’s life and to Canada’s jazz scene.

But as MacDonald recounts below, the pandemic took its toll. During the last 19 months, she moved from coping with fear and uncertainty to feeling immensely grateful to be once again performing.

Q: Tell me how you spent your pandemic. How did you make the most out of lockdowns, and life in general, over the last 19 months?

A: Hmm. I don’t know that I made the most out of the lockdowns, or the time spent in isolation. To say I did would be a lie, and I’m comfortable admitting that the last 19 months were filled with a lot of fear, uncertainty, and difficult moments for me. Like all artists, I lost out on a lot of work including a tour along the West Coast of the United States that I was really excited about. I do feel grateful in that music remained a constant in my life over the past year and a half. Social media, while it has its issues, remains a really incredible way to share your music on a larger platform and I was really lucky to be able to connect to a lot of different artists through Instagram and Facebook. I participated in a few live-streamed performances through the TD Toronto and Ottawa jazz festivals, and I’m really grateful to the festivals and organizations who were able to adapt and provide opportunities for musicians to perform during a difficult time.

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Something special for me was winning the International Clarinetist Corona Competition at the end of 2020, which was adjudicated by some of the best clarinetists out there right now. I grew up listening to a lot of the judges’ music, including Anat Cohen and Victor Goines, so having my work and playing affirmed by some of my early influences on the instrument was really encouraging during such a challenging year.

Q:. I see you did eight gigs last month. How has it felt to play for people again, since your COVID-19 hiatus?

A: It still feels somewhat surreal to be performing for live audiences again. I think the last year and a half, if anything, has forced artists to turn inwards and become comfortable with the idea of practicing, growing, and creating in a solitary setting. It can feel scary to share your art when the creative process has become so intimate over the past 19 months  — so I think in that sense, it’s been an adjustment for a lot of musicians to be back on stage. On that note, I feel immensely grateful to be able to perform again. It feels so incredible to be able to share music with people in real time. A common theme I’ve noticed over the past few months as venues have started to reopen is how attentive and appreciative audiences have been. I think people are just excited to be able to get out and hear live music again. I do feel like there is a newfound reciprocity between audiences and artists that perhaps didn’t always exist before the pandemic, and I would love for that mutual respect to last and continue to grow post-pandemic.

Q: I see that you have a debut album in the works. Tell me about it.

A: So, the production of this project is still in the works so I don’t want to give away too many details yet! But I will say I’m really excited to present and share this music with the world. The album will consist of original compositions, and the front line, which will be myself on clarinet along with wordless vocals, is something that’s really special to me. I work with a lot of vocalists, and I think it’s really exciting to challenge the notions that people have about what clarinet and the voice can do as instruments.