Christine MacDonnell

Biography

CHRISTINE (Chris) MACDONNELL is a highly sought-after multi-woodwind performer, clarinet soloist, and educator. A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, she earned her Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from The Juilliard School.

An active advocate for new music, Christine has appeared as a featured soloist premiering new works for clarinet at multiple ClarinetFests. Most recently, she gave the world premiere of a composition by Maestra member Noriko Sunamoto at ClarinetFest 2026 in South Korea.

A versatile performer, Christine has appeared at Radio City Music Hall and with the Albany Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Northeast Philharmonic Orchestra, Paper Mill Playhouse, The Philly Pops, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Internationally, she has performed and presented master classes in Brazil and Portugal, serving as principal clarinet with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira and the Nova Philharmonia Portuguesa. She was also a featured clarinet artist at the V Festival Internacional de Sopros in Rio de Janeiro.

Christine proudly served two U.S. Presidents as a member of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and has toured nationally with productions including The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Falsettos. She is a regular Broadway musician whose credits include Suffs, New York, New York, Aladdin, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Lion King, and she performs regularly with Paper Mill Playhouse and chamber ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area.

In addition to performing, Christine serves as a woodwind instructor at the United Nations International School and presents master classes and clinics at universities throughout the United States. She has been featured on WPFW's Jazz and Justice Radio and Clarinet Corner on Troy University Public Radio.

Her recordings include Enchanted Saint-Saëns, Clarinet Rhapsody, and Chris' Journey: A Whimsical Collage of Music, a work composed specifically for her that showcases her performing all eleven woodwind instruments.

Christine is a Yamaha Performing Artist and a D'Addario Performing Artist.