Hi there! 

Our 2020 Summer Sessions are over, and we are busy planning for 2021. Get on our email list so you know when we announce what is in store for this summer! 

Session 2 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

 

Nicolas Baldeyrou 

Nicolas Baldeyrou is one of the most prominent clarinetists of his generation, currently leading a triple career as soloist, teacher and orchestra musician at the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra headed by Myung-Whun Chung, where he was appointed first clarinet in 2011. Since 2006 he has taught at the Lyon Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse.

Nicolas Baldeyrou began learning clarinet at the age of eight years old. He studied, successively, at the Conservatoire Municipal du Kremlin-Bicêtre (under Pierre Billaud), the Conservatoire de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (under Véronique Fèvre), and at the age of 14, the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (under Michel Arrignon and Jérôme Julien-Laferrière).  After unanimous vote, he was awarded the Léon Leblanc special prize for bass clarinet (under Jean-Noël Crocq) before beginning his final postgraduate studies.

After graduating, he won three high-level awards: the prestigious ARD International Music Competition (Munich) in 1998, the Dos Hermanas International Clarinet Competition (Spain) in 1999 and the ICA Young Artist Competition (USA) in 2001.  He was also laureate of the international prizes Carl Nielsen (Odense) and the Jeunesses Musicales (Bucarest), the Révélations de l’Adami, the Natixis Foundation, the Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award, and the extremely prestigious “Rising Star” programme, in 2004.

As one of the most prominent clarinettists of his generation, Mr. Baldeyrou is invited to perform as soloist with such prestigious orchestras as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Tokyo, Prague and Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, the Sofia Symphony Orchestra, the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, the Orchestre d’Auvergne and the Orchestre de Cannes-Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur. He is regularly invited to recitals at Carnegie Hall, New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Cité de la Musique à Paris, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory , as well as performing in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mexico.

Lawrie Bloom 

A versatile player, J. Lawrie Bloom has been heard in chamber, orchestral and concerto appearances on  soprano clarinet,  basset clarinet and bass clarinet.  He began studying piano at  four and switched to the clarinet at nine.  He continued studies at the Columbus Boychoir School, with whom he toured the U.S., Canada and Japan, singing and playing the clarinet.   At that same time on clarinet he came under the guidance  of Roger W. McKinney, later studying with Anthony M. Gigliotti.
 
 This season Lawrie was heard as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the Concertante Elegy by Nicolas Bacri, commissioned for him by Music Director Ricardo Muti, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  
 
A lifelong devotee of chamber music, Lawrie has performed at the Ambler, Grand Teton, Ravinia, Skaneateles and  Spoleto festivals, and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York.    Lawrie toured  with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and has collaborated with the Chester, Chicago Symphony,  and Mendelssohn String Quartets, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, and members of the Ridge, Orion and Vermeer string quartets. Lawrie was founder and Artistic Co-Director of the Chesapeake Music Festival in Easton, MD, celebrating its 35th season.  He is a founding member of the Civitas Ensemble in Chicago.
 
Lawrie taught at the Northwestern University for 28 years, has presented master classes all over the world, and is an Artist and consultant with Buffet Crampon and D’Addario.
 

Ixi Chen

Ixi Chen is the Second Clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and enjoys a versatile and active career as an orchestral player, chamber musician, artistic director, educator and coach. Following her studies at the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Southern California, Ms. Chen was appointed by Maestro Paavo Järvi to the position of Second Clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2002. In 2004, she joined the woodwind faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and in 2006, founded the chamber ensemble concert:nova whose fusion of traditional and contemporary elements seeks to cultivate a new audience for music and deeper understanding.

Ms. Chen's commitment to diverse experiences has taken her around the globe. She has performed in music festivals such as the Munich ARD, Aspen, Tanglewood, Evian, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Jerusalem, Thessoloniki, Saint Petersburg, Mexico City UNAM and the Beijing International Clarinet Festival. Media broadcast features include ZDF (German television), NordDeutsche Rundfunk (NDR; North German Radio), SudDeutsche Rundfunk (SDR; South German Radio), KUSC Los Angeles, KQED San Francisco, and WGUC Cincinnati.

Ms.Chen has trained with Rosario Mazzeo, Gary Gray, David Krakauer, Ricardo Morales, Wolfgang Meyer and Yehuda Gilad. An active presenter and clinician, she presents masterclasses and workshops at universities across the US and abroad. Ms. Chen performs exclusively on Buffet Crampon clarinets and D'Addario reeds.

Pascual Martinez-Forteza

A native of Majorca, Spain, Acting Associate Principal and E-flat Clarinet Pascual Martínez­-Forteza joined the New York Philharmonic in 2001, the first and only Spanish musician in the Orchestra’s history as well as a member of the Faculty of some of the most prestigious Music Schools and Universities of New York: Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Bard College and adjunct professor at Juilliard School. Prior to the Philharmonic he held tenure with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and at age 18 he was assistant principal and later acting principal of the Balearic Symphony Orchestra in Spain. He has been invited to play principal clarinet with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle both in Berlin and in Carnegie Hall, New York as well as Saint Louis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony and E-flat clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Dallas Symphony.

Mr. Martínez-Forteza performs an average of 200 performances a year as soloist, with orchestra, recitalist and chamber musician. He regularly performs with prestigious artists as well as other orchestra colleagues from the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Concertgebouw and Berlin Philharmonic in music halls around the work including Carnegie Hall in New York, Musikverein in Vienna, Philarmonie in Berlin, etc. In 2004 he started a collaboration with Spanish pianist Gema Nieto and they won the Sunshine Award in 2017 for their artistic and musical excellence, being the first clarinet and piano duo to receive this prize in over 30 years of this World Art Organization. He has been a part of the several Juries, some of which including the Debussy Competition in Paris, the Dos Hermanas in Seville, Vandoren Clarinet Competition, and the YouTube Competition. He is an active educator and regularly teaches master classes around the world, as well as the Shanghai Academy in China, Buffet Crampon Summer Academy, International Clarinet Association, University of Southern California, Mannes School of Music, Universidad de Ciudad de México, Festival de Clarinete de Lima in Perú, to name a few.

In 2007, he was named Honorary Citizen of Benifaió, in Spain, where he started to study clarinet with his father Pascual V. Martínez, professor of the Conservatory of Majorca and Principal Clarinet of the Balearic Symphony Orchestra. He graduated with Bachelor’s in Majorca Conservatory and Masters in Barcelona Conservatory, later moving to Los Angeles to pursue Advanced Studies at the University of Southern California with Professor Yehuda Gilad, and winning the Concerto Competition.

Pascual Martínez Forteza is an exclusive Buffet Crampon Artist and Vandoren. He plays Buffet Tosca Green Line, V12 reeds and mouthpieces M30D and BD5.

André Moisan

André Moisan began his music studies with his father Gilles, who was a member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1952 to 1998. He later studied with Bob Crowley in Montréal, Larry Combs in Chicago, and with Karl Leister, former principal clarinetist of Berlin Philharmonic.

Well known for his consummate mastery of the instrument, his musicality and the clarity of his playing, André Moisan is one of the most brilliant clarinetists of his generation. He has been part of the music scene since 1977, making regular concert and radio appearances as a soloist and chamber player. His numerous concerts abroad, particularly at Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Radio-Berlin, established him as a leading soloist.

In the orchestral field, Mr. Moisan has worked under renowned conductors, mainly with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He first performed with the Orchestra in 1977, under Andrew Davis, and made his first solo appearance in 1997 with Charles Dutoit. Since May 1999, he has held the position of principal saxophonist and bass clarinetist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and has been a professor of clarinet at University of Montréal since 1989.

As well as teaching the clarinet at the University of Montréal since 1989, he has won numerous awards and was nominated four times for the Opus Award as a soloist, a chamber music player and a conductor. A presenter, guest speaker and accomplished educator, he has conducted the OSM in its Youth Concerts Series for ten years and has also led in the Children’s Corner Series. Many times a finalist, he won the “Family Concert” Opus Award in 2003 for a performance in that particular series, and was a finalist again in 2007 as a conductor with the OSM.
 
Additionally, André Moisan conducts several other orchestras, teaches and works as a soloist across Canada and abroad. He has participated in over 50 CD’s, including eight that he recorded as a soloist for ATMA, all of which are critically acclaimed worldwide. More recently, he has also released two new CD’s: IMPRESSIONS, jazz & world music for clarinets, saxophones and jazz quartet, also KLEZMER DREAMS dedicated to the Hebraic and klezmer repertoire for clarinet & bass clarinet with the Molinari string Quartet.

Mark Nuccio

Critics have praised clarinetist Mark Nuccio for his solo, orchestral, and chamber appearances, describing him as "the evening's highlight" full of "mystery and insight" and "shaping his phrases beautifully with a rich, expressive tone." - The New York Times

Mr. Nuccio officially began his position as Principal Clarinet with the Houston Symphony Orchestra in the 2016-17 season after seventeen years with the New York Philharmonic. He also serves as clarinet faculty at both the Bienen School Music at Northwestern University as well as the University of Houston's Moore School of Music. Mr. Nuccio joined the NYP in 1999 as Associate Principal and Eb Clarinetist and during that time he also served as Acting Principal Clarinet from 2009-2013. Prior to his service with the Philharmonic, he held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida. Many previous features include the NYP Live From Lincoln Center as well as summer engagements where he performs and/or teaches including the Texas Music Festival, Buffet Clarinet Academy, Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO, Aspen Music Festival and Tippet Rise Music Festival in Billings, MT.

As a studio musician, Mr. Nuccio is featured in about a dozen movies and various television commercials. Additionally he has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and on the 2003 Grammy Awards, and is heard on the Super Bowl music as well as the Master’s Golf Music. His own debut album featuring the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, Opening Night, was released in November 2006.

Mr. Nuccio holds a master's degree from Northwestern University where he studied with renowned pedagogue Robert Marcellus. Nuccio is a D'Addario Advising Artist & Clinician and a Performing Artist/Clinician for Buffet Music Group.

 

Guest Biographies

 

Christine Carter

Canadian clarinetist, Christine Carter, has performed at venues across the globe, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. Highlights have included performances at the Mozarthaus in Vienna, German Consulate in New York City, and Palffy Palace in Prague. She has completed artist residencies at the Mozart Festival Würzburg (Germany), Málaga Clásica Festival (Spain), Shenzhen International Woodwind Festival (China), and six seasons with the Dark by Five inter-arts ensemble at Gros Morne Summer Music in Newfoundland. Christine frequently collaborates with Duo Concertante and is the clarinetist of the critically acclaimed Iris Trio. She has been praised for her “striking expression” (Bremen Weser Kurier), “seductive tone and effortless fluidity” (The Clarinet), and “golden legato” (Fanfare Magazine).

Christine has also performed extensively as an orchestral musician, including engagements with the New World Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Symphony Nova Scotia, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, as well as under the batons of some of the world’s finest conductors, such as Lorin Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kent Nagano, and Fabio Luisi.

Christine is actively involved in performance psychology research, focusing on how musicians can be more effective on stage and in the practice room. Her research has led to article commissions from a variety of publications and invitations to give workshops at dozens of institutions around the world. She is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Music and Neuroscience Lab at Western University’s Brain and Mind Institute, where she collaborates with Dr. Jessica Grahn and Dr. Jonathan De Souza on investigating music practice strategies.

Christine holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music and is Associate Professor of Single Reeds at Memorial University in St. John's, Canada. Christine is a Buffet Crampon Artist.
www.christine-carter.com


Tracy Friedlander

Tracy Friedlander is the founder of a podcast and a movement called Crushing Classical. At a career crossroads, Tracy decided to look elsewhere for answers to what was possible in a music career. What she discovered was actually liberating, and a journey started. This was a journey of self-discovery and improvement, starting with interviewing musicians who had done something different, outside of the traditional job path.

Four years and over 100 episodes later, she has now completely redefined her own career as a mentor, teacher and coach to many musicians who are taking on that they, too can create a career they love that isn’t defined by the gate-keepers. Tracy publishes thought-provoking posts on her social media, releases episodes with musicians who are creating incredible careers on their own terms, and she coaches musicians on how to create income and build the audience around what they do.


Ben Haeuser

Ben Haeuser is Musician Quality Control Supervisor at the D’Addario Woodwinds factory in Los Angeles, California. His team of musicians monitor and play test reed and mouthpiece products every day to ensure only the best possible reeds make it into the box for Reserve, Select Jazz, Royal, La Voz and Rico brand reeds. He was design lead for the Reserve Evolution mouthpiece, as well as the Reserve Bass Clarinet and Reserve Eb Clarinet reed development projects.

Ben is an active freelance clarinetist and sits on the board or directors of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. He holds advanced degrees in music from California State University, Long Beach and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers are Richie Hawley, Ixi Chen, Michael Grego, and Virginia Wright.

 

Mark Jacobi


Kari Landry 


Kari Landry is a Backun Artist and clarinetist of the acclaimed Akropolis Reed Quintet, as well as the Marketing and Development Manager of Akropolis’ 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. She manages the organization’s branding, marketing, web design, advertising, social media, fundraising, and more. Since 2016, Kari has been an intermediate lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance where she teaches music entrepreneurship courses.

Founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan and hailed by Fanfare Magazine as performing with “imagination, infallible musicality and huge vitality”, Akropolis delivers over 120 performances including ticketed recitals, K-12 outreach, and community residency activities annually. Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Akropolis’ 2019-20 season features 10 commissions for the ensemble including Storm Warning, the first concerto for reed quintet and wind band by Roshanne Etezady.

With Akropolis, Kari received the Fischoff Gold Medal in 2014, the Grand Prize at the MTNA and Plowman chamber music competitions consecutively in 2011, and prizes at three additional national competitions. Through Akropolis, Kari has commissioned more than 70 new works from prominent composers around the world, released 3 studio albums, with the most recent release dubbed "Pure Gold" by the San Francisco Chronicle, and has collaborated with BodyVox Dance, My Brightest Diamond, and the Dover Quartet on multi-disciplinary performances. 

With Akropolis, Kari was also the winner of the 2015 Fischoff Educator Award and noted for “Demonstrating outstanding and imaginative programming for children and youth in the United States" (Fischoff National Chamber Music Association). Kari continues to be a dynamic educating force that has engaged over 40,000 school-aged children and young adults with Akropolis in the last decade. This includes special appearances at homeless shelters, libraries, youth centers, art museums, and other community venues to increase audience access and appreciation for classical music.

Kari received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in clarinet performance from the University of Michigan, studying with Cleveland Orchestra clarinetist Dan Gilbert and attended the Aspen Music Festival for two summers during college. Committed to increasing arts access within communities, Kari earned an additional Masters Degree in Arts Administration from Eastern Michigan University and was an intern at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. 

Kari owes her musical success to her instructors Dan Gilbert, Chad Burrow, Ted Oien, and Suzy Dennis-Bratton.

 


Rob Patterson


Recognized for his "rich, luscious tone quality" (The Clarinet), Rob Patterson has established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile clarinetists of his generation.  Mr. Patterson is an Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Boston University's School of Music. Mr. Patterson has served as Acting Principal Clarinet with the Louisville and Baltimore Orchestras as well as Principal Clarinet with the Charlottesville Symphony and the Lyrique-en-Mer Orchestra in France. Additionally, he has served as guest Principal Clarinet for the orchestras of Cincinnati, Richmond, Huntsville, Modesto, Pasadena, Peoria, as well as the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.  

Mr. Patterson’s chamber music performances have taken him across North and South America, Europe and Asia. He has performed contemporary music as a member of the VERGE Ensemble in Washington, DC and was previously a member of the Philadelphia-based Ensemble 39, a mixed group of strings and woodwinds that is active in commissioning new works. He has been the featured soloist in Copland’s Clarinet Concerto with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and the Charlottesville Symphony as well as the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Lyrique-En-Mer (Le Palais, France) Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic, Middletown Symphony Orchestra, and the Howard County (Maryland) Concert Players. As a former Strathmore Music Center Artist in Residence, Mr. Patterson presented a series of solo recitals, masterclasses, educational concerts, and a recital at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, including the World-Premiere of John B Hedges’ Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet. 

Mr. Patterson released his solo recording in 2012 with financial support from a D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities grant. Featuring the World Premiere recording of John B Hedges’ Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano: Gumbo, the disc has earned critical acclaim and was voted Best Classical Recording of the Year by the Washington Area Music Association.

Hailing from Cincinnati, OH, Mr. Patterson earned degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the University of Southern California. His principal teachers were Yehuda Gilad, Richard Hawley, and Donald Montanaro. He studied chamber music with Pamela Frank, Ida Kavafian, Meng-Chei Liu, Daniel Matsukawa, Peter Wiley, and Richard Woodhams.


Mr. Patterson is proud to be a D'Addario and Buffet-Crampon performing artist


Ramón Wodkowski

Ramón Wodkowski is the leading clarinet mouthpiece craftsman of his generation, having garnered international acclaim from many of the world’s leading soloists, orchestral musicians and teachers.

A native of Michigan, Ramón graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy before earning his bachelor's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and master's degree from the Yale University School of Music. Ramón became interested in mouthpiece design whilst at Yale, and pursued studies in mouthpiece crafting with James Kanter and Everett Matson.

Ramón’s interest in the British clarinet tradition led him to study at the Royal College of Music in London, where he gained an Artist Diploma, won the prestigious Frederick Thurston prize, and was subsequently awarded the 2005-06 David Bowerman Junior Fellowship.

A professional clarinetist himself, Ramón understands what players need from a mouthpiece, and his in-depth knowledge and experience with both the American and European clarinet traditions provides him the versatility to customize each mouthpiece to suit its owner's individual playing style.

A leading authority on mouthpiece history, acoustics and design, Ramón has been invited to present lectures at many of the worlds major institutions - Please visit the lectures & college visits page for more information.

Ramón enjoys a busy performing schedule as a professional clarinettist. He has performed with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, English National Ballet and City of London Sinfonia. He has worked under conductors including Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Daniel Harding, Oliver Knussen, Heinz Holliger and Semyon Bychkov, at venues including the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms), the Salzburg Mozarteum, Barbican Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Ramón's principal teachers have been Richard Hosford, Franklin Cohen, David Shifrin, Richard Hawkins and Theodore Oien.

 

Hi there! 

Our 2020 Summer Sessions are over, and we are busy planning for 2021. Get on our email list so you know when we announce what is in store for this summer!