Marshall McDonald is an accomplished musician and a seasoned performer. He started clarinet studies with Principal Clarinetist Thomas Thompson of The Pittsburgh Symphony at Carnegie-Mellon University, with William Balawadjer of Carnegie-Mellon University for 6 years and for 2 years with Paris Conservatory graduate Nestor Koval at Duquesne University. He completed his undergraduate studies at University of Pittsburgh with Dr. Nathan Davis and continued his studies in New York City with Miles Davis alumnus, George Coleman. He has also studied with the wonderful woodwind master, Dave Tofani.

Since October 2001, Mr. McDonald has been a member of The World Famous Count Basie Orchestra and holds down the Lead Alto chair in the saxophone section. The orchestra is led by 54 year veteran, Bill Hughes. The band completed a successful tour of the U.S., Japan, Europe in the fall of 2001, toured the Northeast in the early part of 2002, including an exclusive concert in Malaysia returning once again in 2005 for a concert directed by Frank Foster along with the Malaysian Philharmonic. The Orchestra played a successful run of the Blue Note Clubs of Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka Japan in the fall of 2002 and 2004. Mr. McDonald initially performed with The Count Basie Orchestra in 1994 and 1995 under the direction of Frank Foster, including a month long tour of Japan.

From 1991 to 2001, Mr. McDonald was a featured clarinet and saxophone soloist with The Lionel Hampton Orchestra performing with Mr. Hampton and guest artists including Milt Jackson, Nina Simone, Gerry Mulligan, Ray Brown, Art Farmer, Hank Jones, Elvin Jones, and Wynton Marsalis.

Mr. McDonald has performed with Lionel Hampton in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. He performed with Lionel Hampton on the PBS tribute to jazz music entitled Swing! with Rosemary Clooney recorded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1999. Mr. McDonald also performed with The Lionel Hampton Orchestra on The Conan O’Brien Show on NBC in 1998. McDonald recorded with the orchestra on Lionel Hampton-90th Birthday Celebration.

McDonald has also performed with The Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington in 1994 and presently, has performed with the Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer’s son, Paul Ellington. Mr. McDonald presently holds the Lead Alto chair and the solo clarinet chair with the Duke Ellington Orchestra directed by Jack Jeffers, and can be heard at the famed Birdland in New York City, in the band’s extended Tuesday performances.

Mr. McDonald has been a member of Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra under the direction of Paquito D’Rivera from 1993-1999. The United Nation Orchestra performed in Israel, Germany, Croatia and France including the JVC Jazz Festival and The Hollywood Bowl. McDonald recorded on the group’s last two releases, A Night in Englewood and Live At The Manchester Craftmen's Guild.

He can also be heard on Paquito D’Rivera’s latest release Tropicana Nights on Chesky Records which received a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz recording in the 2000 Grammy Awards.

Mr. McDonald was a member of The Chico O’Farrill Orchestra, for two years, 1999-2000, directed by the legendary composer and arranger for Dizzy Gillespie and Machito, Chico O’Farrill. The orchestra performed at Birdland, every Sunday, in New York City. McDonald recorded on Mr. O’Farrill’s Grammy nominated recording, Heart Of A Legend. He can also be heard on O’Farrill’s latest release on Milestone, Carambola.

McDonald can also be seen in an exclusive camera close-up in the 1999 MGM movie The Thomas Crown Affair performing with the Orchestra in the ballroom dance scene. Mr. McDonald also was a member of the Chico O’Farrill Orchestra during the filming of the documentary about Afro-Cuban music entitled Calle 54 released in Fall 2000, which enjoyed an extended run at the Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City.

Mr. McDonald has held the Lead Alto chair in The Frank Foster Loud Minority Big Band, The Charli Persip Supergroup Big Band, and The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Mr. McDonald has also performed with The Bobby Caldwell Orchestra as the opening act for Vanessa Williams. McDonald has performed in Broadway shows, including clarinet in Jelly’s Last Jam, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Clarinet and Flute in the 1998 production of Streetcorner Symphony and in 1999 he performed on stage in the musical Kat and the Kings. He has been an orchestra member of The Meetin’ by Pamela Baskin-Watson and Bobby Watson. Recently, McDonald has also played Alto with The Cab Calloway Orchestra, led by Cab’s Grandson, Christopher Brooks.

Marshall has also played with the wonderful guitarist, Melvin Sparks. He played off and on with Melvin during the last 10 years, in Melvin's high energy blues and jazz group here on the East Coast. Marshall had the opportunity to play Baritone saxophone with The Don Braden Octet in the year 2001.

Marshall was a member of the Black Rock Coalition of New York City during the years 1988-1992. He played tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone with Michael Hill's Bluesland, a blues based group led by Michael's Hendrix influenced guitar and socially conscious lyrics. The band played CBGB's, Kenny's Castaways, Wetlands and also was an opening act for Living Colour, the Black Rock Coalition's most well-known band of the 90's.

McDonald was a regular member of the George Gee Orchestra for many years here in New York City, after establishing a relationship with George while they were both in college in Pittsburgh, when George first started his band in 1980. Marshall also appears on one of Gee's recordings. McDonald has also recorded and performed with The Nancie Banks Big Band from 1997-2001, whose alumni include, James Zollar, Frank Gordon and Clarence Banks (18 yr Basie veteran).

Mr. McDonald has performed in jazz festival all over the world, including The JVC Jazz Festival, The Monterey Jazz Festival, The Umbria Jazz Festival and The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. He has played in The Wiz with Stephanie Mills, and with The Temptations, Johnny Mathis, The Four Tops, The Dells, Aretha Franklin, Melba Moore and The Manhattan Transfer.

McDonald’s background in both Classical and Jazz Music make him a dynamic and valued performer.

Marshall McDonald is a RICO performing artist.

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