Margaret Thornhill is a clarinet soloist, chamber musician, and educator, as well as the founder of several organizations serving music and the clarinet in the US. An experienced workshop leader, coach, conductor, writer/researcher, and champion of new music, she is based in Los Angeles, where she creates projects that take her musical community forward and welcomes students and colleagues from around the world.

Short printable biography:

Clarinet soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and conductor Margaret Thornhill made her New York recital debut at Merkin Hall in 1980 and her UK debut at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in 1991. Reviewers have stated that "Thornhill's musicianship, technique and control are extraordinary" (Palo Alto Times), and described her performances as "sensational" (Palo Alto Times), "eclectic and technically impressive--admirable facility" (Los Angeles Times), "nicely planned and nicely played" (New York Times). A champion of contemporary music, she has given many world and local premieres including works by Cansino, Rorem, Knussen, Tower, Levy, Clearfield, Kovler and Gurol. For ten years she was the clarinetist and artistic director of the Matrix Chamber Ensemble, a touring group which received grants and awards from the Ahmanson Foundation, the National/State/County Partnership, the Los Angeles Arts Commission and the California Arts Council. Margaret has taught clarinet and coached chamber music as a member of the faculty at the University of California Santa Cruz, Stanford University. Occidental College, Concordia University Irvine, and is currently on the faculty at Claremont Graduate University. She gives masterclasses, writes articles for international clarinet journals, is a lead woodwind coach for the Humboldt Summer Chamber Music Workshop at Cal Poly Humboldt, and teaches advanced clarinet students privately. From 2006-2017 she was the artistic director of the Claremont Clarinet Festival, held as a summer conference at Pomona College. Margaret Thornhill is the founding conductor of the Los Angeles Clarinet Choir which has been featured in performance at featured at six International Clarinet Association ClarinetFests. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stanford University.

“...music of incomparable grace and almost unbearable poignance. Thornhill's performance was as lovable as Mozart was loving."

-Peninsula Times-Tribune