About

Bio, Awards & Education

With an established reputation as one of Canada’s leading saxophonists, Kirk MacDonald cut his first record at the age of thirteen. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, and has worked with many leading musicians in a variety of musical genres. He has performed on over fifty CDs as both leader and sideman, and has participated in numerous national broadcast recordings for CBC Radio. In addition to performing extensively throughout Canada, he has also performed in the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Monaco, Australia, Korea, Bermuda, and the Bahamas.

For over thirty years Kirk MacDonald has worked and recorded with many leading Canadian, U.S. and International jazz musicians including Claude Ranger, Dave Young, Sam Noto, Sonny Greenwich, Kenny Wheeler, Eddie Henderson, Harold Mabern, Walter Bishop Jr., Tom Harrell, Vic Juris, Peter Bernstein, Adam Nussbaum, Rich Perry, Kurt Elling, David Virelles, Ralph Bowen, Dick Oatts, Ben Monder, Seamus Blake, Jonathan Blake, Lorne Lofsky, Bob Mover, Pat LaBarbera, John Taylor, Ron McClure, Jack DeJohnette, Mike Stern, Jim McNeely, Bob Mintzer, Vince Mendoza, John Clayton, Chris Potter, Glenn Ferris, Maria Schneider, Dave Grusin, Danilo Perez, Adam Rogers, Dennis Mackrel, Nancy Walker, Barry Romberg, Andre White, Rob Smith, Brian Dickinson, Denny Christianson, Bernie Senensky, Phil Nimmons, James Moody, Rosemary Clooney, and the Humber College Faculty Ensemble.

Over 100 performances of Kirk MacDonald’s compositions appear on 25 albums, both as leader and on recordings by other artists. Kirk has established a substantial body of original work as a saxophonist/composer over the past three decades. As a follow up to his award winning recordings Symmetry with Tom Harrell, and Vista Obscura with Harold Mabern, MacDonald released Common Ground, a double CD of his compositions arranged by Joe Sullivan for Jazz Orchestra. Silent Voices, a co-led quartet outing with renowned saxophonist Pat LaBarbera, featuring American jazz great Adam Nussbaum on drums. MacDonald’s latest recording Generations, brings him back full circle to his roots in a program of jazz standards and the Great American Songbook. Generations features three generations of musicians: the legendary pianist Harold Mabern at age 82 and MacDonald’s wonderfully talented daughter Virginia MacDonald, at age 23, on clarinet.

Kirk MacDonald has been active as an educator for 30 years at leading jazz studies programs such as The University of Toronto, Humber College and McGill University. Through his work with these programs, numerous live performances, recordings, master classes and workshops throughout Canada and internationally, Kirk has become one of Canada’s most respected and in demand educators.

For close to three decades MacDonald has been a leader in his field of performance, composition and education and has had a huge and lasting influence on many of Canada’s younger generation of musicians. Many former students have gone on to forge national and international careers in many genres of music.

Kirk MacDonald is presently a full time professor at Humber College in Toronto. MacDonald also acts as the Artistic Director for the “Youth Jazz Canada” project and directs the “National Youth Jazz Combo”. This project also hosts a 2 week workshop in the summer for high school and post-secondary students.

Awards & Nominations

As Leader or Soloist

2015 – Hagood Hardy Award SOCAN – Outstanding Jazz Artist of the Year
2015 – Juno Award Winner – Best Jazz Recording Solo Artist (Vista Obscura)
2015 – East Coast Music Award – Best Jazz Recording (Symmetry)
2015 – Toronto Musicians’ Association – Lifetime Achievement Award
2012 – Juno Award Nominee – Best Traditional Jazz Album (Deep Shadows)
2011 – Juno Award Nominee – Best Traditional Jazz Album (Songbook Vol. II)
2010 – Juno Award Nominee – Best Contemporary Jazz Album (Songbook Vol. 1)
2009 – the Canada Council’s “Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award”
2007 – Now Magazine “Saxophonist of the Year”
2005 – National Jazz Awards Nomination – Saxophonist of the Year
2004 – National Jazz Awards Nomination – Saxophonist of the Year
2003 – National Jazz Awards Nomination – Saxophonist of the Year
2002 – Winner – 4th Concours International de Soliste de Jazz – Monaco
2001 – Juno Award Nomination – Best Mainstream Jazz Album (New Beginnings)
2001 – Canadian Indie Music Award Nomination – Best Jazz Recording (New Beginnings)
1999 – Juno Award – Best Mainstream Jazz Album (The Atlantic Sessions)
1999 – Jazz Report Awards – Album of the Year (The Atlantic Sessions)
1999 – Jazz Report Awards – Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
1996 – Nomination for East Coast Music Award – Jazz Artist of the Year (Reminiscence)

With Other Artists

2009 – Juno Award Nominee – Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year (Existential Detective) (Random Access Large Ensemble)
2003 – Montreal Jazz Festival Prix de Jazz (Nancy Walker Quartet)
2001 – Juno Award Nominee – Best Vocal Jazz (This Is How Men Cry) (Marc Jordan) Blue Note Records
2000 – Juno Award Nominee – Best Mainstream Jazz Album (New Horizons) (Bernie Senensky) Timeless
1999 – Juno Award Nominee – Best Mainstream Jazz Album (Siren’s Song) (Maritime Jazz Orchestra) Justin Time
1999 – Montreal Jazz Festival Prix de Jazz (Chris Mitchell Quintet)

EDUCATIONAL AWARDS

2011 Humber College – Distinguished Faculty Award
2009 Humber College – College Innovation of the Year Award (Music Department)
2008 Humber College – Teaching Excellence Certificate
2004/05 Humber College – Award of Excellence for Outstanding Academic Contribution

Educational

Kirk MacDonald has been active as an educator for over 25 years at leading Canadian jazz studies programs including McGill University (1988) and the University of Toronto (1993-2005). He also taught at Ottawa University and Carleton University. Since 2005 Kirk has held a full time professorship at the renowned music program at Humber College in Toronto, where he holds a cross appointment in the Music Degree Program and the Community Music School. In addition to his teaching at Humber College Kirk also acts as the Artistic Director for the Youth Jazz Canada project and has directed the Greater Toronto Area Honour Combos (2009-2012) and the National Youth Honour Combo ( 2012-2013). The Youth Jazz Canada project also hosts a 2 week summer workshop for high school students aged 14 to 18 in Toronto (2010-2013). Kirk is in high demand as a clinician and has conducted master classes in saxophone, improvisation, and composition throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

Master Classes Conducted at the Following Canadian Institutions

Capilano College, Vancouver, British Columbia
University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
Grant McEwan College, Edmonton, Alberta
Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta
York University, Toronto, Ontario
Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ontario
Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology, Toronto, Ontario
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
Creative Music School, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Saint Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Mount Alison University, Sackville, New Brunswick
The Music Room, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba
University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba

Master Classes Conducted Internationally

Escuela de Música Creativa, Madrid Spain
Institute Valencia de art Modern, Valencia Spain
Escuela di Musica. Alicanté, Spain
Escuela di Musica. Lerida, Spain
Seoul Jazz Academy, Seoul, Korea
PaekChe Institute of the Arts Seoul,Korea
Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
State University of New York, Crane Music School, Potsdam, New York

Jazz Camps & Workshops Instructor of Saxophone, Improvisation, Composition & Ensembles

1993 – 2003: National Music Camp, Orillia, Ontario
1996, 1997: Saskatchewan Band Camp, Regina, Saskatchewan
1999: Inter-provincial Band Camp, Parry Sound, Ontario
2010-2018: Youth Jazz Canada Summer Workshop, Humber College, Toronto (Artistic director)

Guest Performances with Various Large & Small Ensemble Student Groups

May 2003: Tour of Nova Scotia, P.E.I. with Community Music School Ensemble
2004 – 2012: The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar, Toronto, Ontario, with Community Music School Ensemble(s)
July 2004: Performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival, The Hague, Holland and the Atlantic Jazz Festival, Halifax, Nova Scotia with Community Music School Ensemble
March 2005: 10 O’Clock and 11 O’Clock Jazz Orchestras, McMillan Theatre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Original compositions for Jazz orchestra)
2008: International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) with Community Music School Ensemble, Toronto, Ontario
2010 – 2011: Music Fest Canada with GTA Honour Combos (Toronto, Ottawa)
November 2011: 10 O’Clock Jazz Orchestra, Walter Hall, University of Toronto (Original compositions for Jazz orchestra)
2010 – 2012: Toronto Jazz Festival with GTA Honour Combos
2012: Music Fest Canada with National Honour Combo, Ottawa, Ontario
January 2012: Institute Valencia de Art Modern Jazz Orchestra, Valencia, Spain (Original compositions for Jazz orchestra)
January 2012: Escuela de Música Creativa Jazz Orchestra, Madrid, Spain (Original compositions for Jazz orchestra)

About

Awards & Nominations

Educational

Master Classes Conducted at the Following Canadian Institutions

Master Classes Conducted Internationally

Jazz Camps & Workshops Instructor of Saxophone, Improvisation, Composition & Ensembles

Guest Performances with Various Large & Small Ensemble Student Groups

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