Session 3 Faculty & Guest Presenters

We've invited premiere pedagogues, craftspeople and industry pros to create the content for an exciting and immersive experience. Meet the faculty and special guests of the Digital Clarinet Academy! 

Faculty Biographies

David Gould 

David Gould is the bass clarinetist with the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra in New York City. 

He has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the National Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, the New York City Opera, the New York Philharmonic, L’Orchestre National de France, the Orchestra of St. Lukes, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has played clarinet, e flat, basset horn, bass clarinet, and contrabass clarinet.

Gould has given master classes, concerts, and lectures at many prestigious schools such as the Boston Conservatory, the Colburn School, the Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the University of Michigan.

He has edited and corrected etudes by Alessio, Labanchi, and Stark as well as pieces by Paul Jeanjean and Rene de Boisdeffre for International Music Diffusion (IMD). He has recorded for Naxos, Mode Records, and MSR Classics. His debut recording The Forgotten Clarinet garnered critical acclaim in the clarinet community around the world.

David Gould is a graduate of the Juilliard School and was awarded the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship, to study music in France. He is a unanimous first prize winner from the Conservatoire National de Region de Versailles in France. He studied with Michel Arrignon, Philippe Cuper, Stanley Drucker, Jacques Lancelot, and David Weber. David Gould is a performing artist and clinician for Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Paris.

Diana Haskell 

Diana Haskell is currently Associate Principal Clarinet with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She has held principal and assistant principal positions in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Savannah Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and Santa Fe Opera. She has also been E-Flat clarinetist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Haskell is chamber coach and teacher at Chautauqua Institution School of Music, where she gives individual instruction and coaches mixed chamber groups. For five years Ms. Haskell recruited, organized and led her own Clarinet Intensive, a rigorous two-week immersion program for advanced students. A supporter of minority arts initiatives, Ms. Haskell participates in the In Unison program with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and teaches clarinet for HEAL Center For the Arts, a vigorous after-school arts program for students in urban centers.

Ms. Haskell's students have been accepted at schools such as Eastman School of Music, Indiana University-Jacobs School of Music, University of Southern California-Thornton School 0f Music, DePaul University, Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern University, University of Texas-Austin and others. Her students occupy positions with orchestras, in bands of the Armed Forces, as clarinet professors, as orchestra and band directors, and in arts administrative positions. As a result of being a finalist in the Naumberg International Competition, Ms. Haskell performed a solo recital in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Haskell is a Buffet-Crampon Artist and Vandoren Artist. Haskell’s CD, Clarinet Enchantments (AAM Recordings) may be purchased at Amazon.com.

Chris Pell

Christopher Pell is the Principal Clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Second Clarinetist of The Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and the former Principal Clarinetist of The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Christopher has performed as Principal Clarinetist with The Toronto Symphony, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Knights, The Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería (Mexico City), The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, second clarinet with The Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and a variety of positions with The American Ballet Theatre. He appeared as a soloist with The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, The U.S. Army Band at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fischer Hall, and The Long Island Sound Symphony. He has also won first prize in the Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition. As a chamber musician, Christopher has performed with the Linton Chamber Music Series, the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Twickenham Fest, The Orlando Chamber Soloists, the Luzerne Chamber Music Festival, NOLA 360, and the Lake George Music Festival. Christopher teaches at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, has taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp and the University of New Orleans. Christopher graduated from The Juilliard School in 2013 and has twice been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. Christopher is a Buffet Crampon artist and a Vandoren artist. 

Anton Rist

Anton Rist was appointed principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2016. He previously held principal positions with the Princeton and New Haven Symphony Orchestras. In addition, Mr. Rist has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Louisiana Philharmonic, and the American Ballet Theater. Mr. Rist has toured Japan with the New York Symphonic Ensemble, and has performed as a chamber musician throughout Europe and Asia.

A dedicated teacher, Mr. Rist has taught at the Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music Precollege divisions, and has presented masterclasses across the country. He has performed and taught at the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, the Interlochen Arts Camp, Festival Mozaic, the St. Barts Music Festival, Bravo!Vail, and is a founding member of the Montserrat Music Festival in the West Indies.

Born and raised in New York City, Mr. Rist received two degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Jon Manasse. His other major teachers included Larry Guy and Jo-Ann Sternberg. While a student, Mr. Rist attended the Verbier, Pacific, and Aspen Music Festivals.

Amy Zoloto

Guest Biographies

Kensley Behel / Meghan Taylor

Kensley Behel is a classically trained clarinetist from the southeastern United States. Ms. Behel had her solo debut with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18 where she performed Louis Cahuzac’s Variations Sur Un Air Du Pays D'Oc. She graduated from Florida State University with her bachelor’s in clarinet performance, during which time she underwent surgery for stress velopharyngeal insufficiency. She went on to complete her master’s degree, also in clarinet performance, at the University of Michigan. Her former teachers include Peter Wright, Deborah Bish, Frank Kowalsky, and Dan Gilbert.

Ms. Behel’s personal journey and struggle with injuries as a musician has led her to become a researcher in the field of Performing Arts Health. Ms. Behel also works as a freelance journalist to cover men’s gymnastics in Germany, Scotland, the U.S. and Canada. It is through these multi-disciplinary experiences that she works to create a more health-aware mindset within her own community to prevent injuries. Her current areas of interest and research include an epidemiological study in clarinetists, pulmonary function in musicians, stress velopharyngeal insufficiency, and burnout among church musicians.

Ms. Behel has presented at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Performing Arts Medical Association, and the International Clarinet Association, among others. In her free time, she is an avid reader and world-traveler. She also works as a life-coach and advocates for whole-person care including one full day of rest each week. 

Meghan S. Taylor
As a musician-researcher, Meghan Taylor is passionate about helping music educators develop strategies to include health and wellness concepts in their teaching environment. Meghan is currently leading a grant project funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine under award number UG4LM012345. This project serves as a significant step towards preparing music educators in Texas to incorporate health education into ensemble-based instructional activities. Through exposure to health education in the music classroom, Meghan believes students will be better equipped to handle the physical and mental demands of music-making throughout
their careers.

Meghan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music with a concentration in Performing Arts Health at The University of North Texas and conducts research at the Texas Center for Performing Arts Health (TCPAH). During her first year at UNT, Meghan worked with representatives from the TCPAH to publish a booklet titled, "Musician Health: A Primer and Resource Guide"  archived on the NNLM Website. In July 2019, Meghan and colleagues were awarded second prize for their epidemiologic research on clarinetists during the International Clarinet Association’s annual Research Competition. Meghan has also been invited to present at the Performing Arts Medical Association’s International Conference and the Research Appreciation Day at the UNT Health Science Center. In addition to research pursuits, Meghan has been awarded Internships with the National Association of Music Merchants and the College Music Society, and serves as the Copy Editor for the Clarineat Podcast.

To learn more about Meghan and her research visit meghanstaylor.com or follow on social media @meghanstaylor.

Brad Behn

Bradford Behn (pronounced BAYN) studied clarinet performance with Robert Marcellus at Northwestern University, where he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in 1989 and 1990. Brad is Principal Clarinet of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and has also held positions as Principal Clarinet with the Fort Collins Symphony and Tulsa Symphony, and previously served as 2nd/E-flat Clarinet with the Tulsa Philharmonic and the Savannah Symphony. Additional experiences include orchestral performances with the symphonies of Boston, Baltimore, Utah, Colorado, San Antonio, Alabama, Charleston (SC), and Naples (FL).

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Active as an educator, Brad has served as the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Oklahoma City University, Adjunct Clarinet Professor at the University of Northern Colorado, Instructor of Clarinet at Tulsa Community College, and has been guest clinician at institutions around the world. He has also been the sabbatical teaching replacement at the University of Colorado–Boulder, University of Oklahoma–Norman, and Oklahoma State University.

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Since 1992, Brad has been highly dedicated to mouthpiece acoustics and has been in demand for his mouthpiece refacing and customization skills. In 2003, Brad expanded his business to Behn Mouthpieces, producing mouthpieces for players of all levels, while continuing to provide refacing services. Today, Brad owns and operates BEHN, LLC, along with his wife, So Rhee, and lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. Together, they also own and operate Window Saver Company, LLC.

Tomoji Hirakata

Michael Lowenstern

Widely considered one of the finest bass clarinetists in the world, Michael Lowenstern has performed, recorded, and toured as a soloist and with ensembles of every variety. He has written music for concert, film, dance and various other media over the span of his 20-year career. Actively involved with technology in sound and music, Lowenstern has been a pioneer in the field of interactive computer music, having created or performed over a hundred works for bass clarinet and electronics. He is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. To learn more about Michael Lowenstern, visit earspasm.com.

Heather Rodriguez

Heather Rodriguez is the Executive Director and Co-Owner of Rodriguez Musical Services in Atlanta, GA.  Before founding RMS, she was a free-lancer and teacher in the Atlanta area. Heather holds music performance degrees in clarinet from Baylor and Northwestern Universities.  As a concerto competition winner, she performed as a soloist with both university orchestras. In 2005 she gave the east coast premiere of Alan Terricciano’s Clarinet Concerto with the Northwestern Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Heather has been invited to summer music festivals such as the Blossom Festival, the New Hampshire Music Festival, the International Festival-Institute at Round Top and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. She has also performed recitals at the University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium and the International Clarinet Association.

Heather has taught for the Atlanta Symphony’s Talent Development program and has also served on the faculty of Berry College and the University of Georgia in Athens.

Wendy Skozcen

Michael Thornton

Michael Thornton enjoys a distinguished and varied career as an orchestral performer, chamber musician, soloist and pedagogue. Thornton has performed on six continents with acclaimed ensembles and has presented master classes at prestigious musical institutions, including The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, Rice University, the Royal Northern College of Music (UK) and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (AU).

Thornton holds concurrent appointments as Principal Horn of both the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Colorado Symphony. He joined the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in 2017 and joined the Colorado Symphony Orchestra during the 1997 season, and in this capacity has worked with renowned classical and popular artists from Yo Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Renee Fleming, songwriter Randy Newman and Phish frontman Trey Anistasio. Before joining the CSO, he left his studies at The Juilliard School to become the Principal Horn of the Honolulu Symphony. Thornton has also performed as a guest Principal Horn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Korean Broadcast System (KBS) Symphony and Toronto Symphony, and as guest Associate Principal Horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician and a recognized soloist internationally, Thornton has been a featured performer at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (NM), Mainly Mozart (CA), Spoleto (SC), Moab Music Festival (UT), Campos do Jordao International Winter Festival (Brazil), Medellin Festicamara (Colombia), Camerata Pacifica among many others. He performs annually as the Solo Horn of the Washington Island Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin. In addition to his regular appearances with the Colorado Symphony and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Thornton has performed as a soloist with the National Arts Center Orchestra (Canada), Melbourne Musician’s Chamber Orchestra (Australia), New Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria), Cape Town Philharmonic (South Africa) and numerous orchestras in the U.S. He has also appeared as a featured artist at several horn symposia, most notably the 40th International Horn Symposium (Denver), the Western US Horn Symposium (Las Vegas) and Hornswoggle (Jemez Springs, NM). Thornton’s recording of horn trios with Andrew Litton and Yumi Hwang-Williams with Albany Records has garnered critical acclaim.

Thornton was appointed to the faculty of the University of Colorado Boulder in 1999 and currently serves as the associate professor of horn. In addition, he serves as a Faculty Artist at the Colorado College Music Festival each June. Thornton holds certification in Mental Toughness Training from the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida, and implements this training in his teaching. His students hold positions in orchestras throughout the United States and abroad, and have won numerous awards and competitions.

Thornton has received the Marinus Smith Award twice, which is bestowed upon teachers at CU Boulder who have made significant contributions to their students’ development.

Andrea Vos-Rochefort