About Margali Grenier

Margali Grenier (she/her) is Founder, President, and Executive Director of the nonprofit ensemble, the Plattsburgh [Community] Clarinet Choir, Incorporated (PCC), and the Founder and Owner of Major Fifth Music.  While she wears many hats as an active performer, educator, and instrument repair technician, she specializes in curating and producing concerts of new music.  As a teacher, she is known for a supportive, adaptable approach that meets students where they are and helps them grow with confidence.

In August 2023, Margali launched a commissioning initiative for clarinet repertoire and produced a concert of newly written works.  The first three editions of this annual series, Clarinouveau, have featured over two dozen World Premieres, featuring guest artists from across the US, and composers from around the world.  These events have drawn increasing attention across the US and Canada, solidifying the Plattsburgh Clarinet Choir’s reputation as the North East’s premiere clarinet ensemble, and Champions of New Music.

Equally at home on stage and known for her interpretive skill as a low clarinetist, Margali regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician in both the United States and Canada.  She has appeared with the Verona String Quartet, US Air Force Liberty Clarinet Quartet, and has performed at both the International Clarinet Association’s “LowFest” and “ClarinetFest”. 

Margali began her Canadian clarinet adventures during university, performing on contra-alto and contrabass clarinets with the Cross-Border Clarinet Project through Cégep de Sherbrooke in Québec.  In 2023 she was selected to attend the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia for their LampNOW New Music Concert Series and Bass Clarinet Masterclass, where she collaborated with emerging composers and premiered their works on bass and contrabass clarinets.  Most recently she was invited to Laval University in Québec for the premiere edition of the Académie de Clarinette Basse de Québec (Bass Clarinet Academy of Québec), where she was chosen to perform as a contrabass soloist.

Margali is a member of L’Association Canadienne de Clarinette Basse (Bass Clarinet Association of Canada) and performs regularly with the Plattsburgh Clarinet Choir, the Montréal Clarinet Choir, the Adirondack Wind Ensemble, the York River Symphony Orchestra, Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble, and the Virginia Wind Symphony.

Margali teaches private woodwind lessons at the Virginia Academy of Music, specializing in low clarinets, saxophones, and bassoon.  Her students have excelled in district, regional, all-county, and all-state, along with college music auditions.  She has taught learners from age eight through retirement, including beginners, university-level players, and adults returning to their instruments.  Her teaching philosophy shifts with each student; assessing their skills, interests, and motivations, and integrating music by living composers into lessons, while encouraging interpretation that extends beyond traditional classical expectations.  She continues her own education with artists such as Sarah Watts, Christine Hoerning, André Moisan, Mélanie Bourassa, and Jonathan Russell.