Archived news
2019-2020 Season Highlights:
I am very excited to announce some very cool projects that I'm up to this year. Check out the details on my Concerts page. Here are some of my favorites:
What a whirlwind of this past season! With a last minute engagement with The Who on their "Moving on!" tour in Grand Rapids, to an appearance at the Big Ears Festival with Harold Budd, a ProMusica concert with Joel Peterson at The Cube, and appearances with the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Michigan Opera Theatre, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, I've had barely a minute to say hello. Well, here I go...Hello! I am so very grateful for your love and encouragement, and can't wait to tell you about what next season brings. Soon!
Big Ears Festival (2019)
I'm extremely excited to be collaborating with very special musicians at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee this March. In October, I met the legendary composer Harold Budd, and was invited to perform in his evening-long work, As Long As I Can Hold My Breath from his album Avalon Sutra at the Big Ears Festival this March. Collaborators in this project include Tim Story (piano and electronics), Terrence Budd (guitar and keyboards), Sean Connors (percussion), and many others. See here for this year's amazing lineup, including this show on the evening of March 24th. Hope to see you there!
New Protea date announced (2019)
If you've missed us, don't fret: we've just booked another date for our trio this May. We'll be appearing on the "Sounds of Music" house concert in the gorgeous and historic Boston Edison district in Detroit. Come see us up close and personal, and tour a beautiful historical house too! More information for this show on May 4th here.
Protea at the Block (2016)
We are very excited to be included in the chamber series of the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. They recently opened a pristine space near the hall called The Block, and if you're in the area it will certainly be a night of intimate and exciting music. We'll be presenting our program "Crossing the Equator" again with a few variations. (more)
Protea at the Detroit Institute of Arts (2016)
On August 26th, come out to the beautiful Rivera Court at the DIA to hear our current program, "Crossing the Equator," which will feature the works of both North and South American composers including Astor Piazzolla, Paquito D'Rivera, Miguel del Aguila, Catherine McMichael and Valerie Coleman. We are so fortunate to be working with the exceptionally talented local Detroit writer, poet, and Kresge Literary Arts recipient Marsha Music, reciting the poetry of Langston Hughes and excerpts from her own work. (more)
Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (2016)
I am so very excited to be apart of this exceptional Broadway production touring Detroit at the Fisher Theatre in October. Come out and peek into the pit and say hi! (more)
Art X 2015 with poet Terry Blackhawk
I am looking forward to collaborating with poet Terry Blackhawk, who was recently named an Artist Fellow by the Kresge Foundation, in an upcoming performance during Detroit's Art X Festival on April 25th at 2:30 and 4:30 pm. Her poems will be set to music, video projections, a short film, and dramatic readings. I'll be working with a great team of performers to create a unique and creative performance experience. The show is free but reservations are required. See here for more details.
Quartet for the End of Time at the Toledo Museum of Art
On May 30th, 2015, I'll be performing a seminal work of the twentieth century, Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Olivier Messiaen, in the Great Gallery of the Toledo Museum of Art. Surrounded by classical works of art, this is a show not to be missed. I'll be joined by a spectacular set of musicians from the Toledo Symphony, Bowling Green State University, and New York City. Please refer to the museum website for more information.
Der Golem at the Detroit Film Theater, with original score by Joel Peterson, October 31st, 2014
Der Golem: How He Came into the World is a 1920 silent horror film masterpiece co-directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener, and it's a perfect pick for Halloween night. This performance will be the world premiere of Joel Peterson's musical score to the film, and I'll be one of four musicians performing it inside the pit of this beautifully restored theater, located within the Detroit Institute of Arts. More information here.
Chamber Music at Trinosophes, September 14th 2014, 7 p.m.
We've got another great show planned at Trinosophes, the superb music/art/cafe space in Eastern Market, Detroit. The concert includes modern chamber music with my talented colleagues Dennis Carter (flute), Mariah Mlynarek (piano) and Jennifer Goltz (soprano). Repertoire to include favorites from composers Liebermann, Frank, Skelton, Coleman, Argento, Copland, and Villa-Lobos. More information can be found here or here.
June 20th, 2014, 7 and 8:30pm shows at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Last minute event added at the DIA! Dennis Carter, Mariah Mlynarek, Jennifer Goltz, and I will be apart of their Friday Night Live! series in the DIA's beautiful Rivera Court. The show is entitled "Wind and Song: an Evening of Contemporary Wind Music and Cabaret" and we'll be performing selections from Jolivet, Skelton, Debussy, Chambers, Liebermann, Bolcom, Argento, Copland, and Villa-Lobos. Come out if you can! More information here.
Summer Workshops just announced
This summer I will again be teaching the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts Clarinet Workshop for both Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers. This workshop, from August 11-15, is an informative, affordable, and fun way for students to advance their skills and get a jump on the new year. If you'd like to read more about the program, check out our review in the local Macomb paper here. For more information and to sign up, please visit here.
May 30th, 2014, 8pm at Trinosophes
Come out and hear some contemporary music at the Detroit venue Trinosophes at the end of May. I'll be performing 20th and 21st century trios from the repertoire with the ever-talented Mariah Mlynarek on piano and Joe Deller on violin. Repertoire to include works by Ives, Milhaud, Menotti, Rorem, and Daugherty. More information here.
May 2nd, 2014, 8pm at the Ford Performing Arts Center in Dearborn
I'm one proud teacher! My student, Allen Chang, won a competition to perform as a soloist with the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. He'll be performing a movement of Weber's Second Clarinet Concerto with the orchestra. You can read a review of the performance in the local press here.
April 26, 2014, Trinosophes, Detroit
I'm appearing in another show with chanteuse Shara Worden and her band, My Brightest Diamond, this time in a presentation by Ann Arbor's University Musical Society entitled "In Cahoots!." The show is the final event of the Detroit Culture Lab, a week of events that celebrates Detroit's design and entrepreneurial talent, and takes place at Trinosophes in Detroit. You can find more information here.
March 2, 2014, Kerrytown Concert House, Ann Arbor
My yet-to-be-named trio is headlining a concert this weekend entitled, "One Hundred Years: Contemporary Wind Music, 1913-2013" at the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor at 7:30pm. The show features wind repertoire from the last one hundred years, including rarely heard pieces from Aaron Copland and Andre Jolivet, and a newly comissioned piece from Evan Chambers entitled Atonement. The program also includes works from Villa-Lobos, Debussy, Lowell Lieberman, and Gabriela Lena Frank.
This show features the wonderful talent of Dennis Carter on flute, Mariah Mlynarek on piano, and Jennifer Goltz on soprano. This show is especially exciting for me, as I am apart of the commissioning consortium that funded Evan Chamber's new work, Atonement, for clarinet and piano with optional soprano, that will be performed that night. Even though this is not the official premiere
(Kimberly Cole Luevano, consortium leader, performed the premiere at EMU last month), it's a first performance for me and will be an exciting one! Check out the link here.
On Tour, March 2014
In late March, I'll be traveling on tour for three weeks with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players performing principal clarinet on their show, H.M.S. Pinafore. The NYGASP company, led by expert Albert Bergeret, is THE preeminent G&S company in America, and some of the finest singers around fill its ranks. We'll be traveling throughout the midwest, visiting towns in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio. If you'd like to follow us on the road, visit their blog here.
Wrapping up the rest of 2013
I haven't updated my website in awhile because of the flurry of activity in the summer and fall of 2013. I've made it through (phew!) but have left you all behind. Here's a recap of the highlights:
• Appearances with Shara Worden and My Brightest Diamond at Art X, MusicNOW in Cincinnati, Laneway Festival at Meadowbrook in Detroit, and at Lincoln Center's Out of Doors Festival in New York City. The last festival, Out of Doors, was especially exciting, as we packed Damrosch Band Shell, appearing on the same bill as Emily Wells and the Kronos Quartet
• I appeared as a special guest with Amphion Percussion in a recital at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and at the awesome jazz and new music venue Constellation in Chicago
• I've been performing with a new-yet-to-be-named trio with Dennis Carter (fl) and Mariah Mlynarek (pno), performing a show at the new venue Trinosophes in Detroit.
• The freelance orchestral season was especially fruitful, as I appeared as an extra-musician with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, playing contrabass clarinet in Ligeti's Lontano with Maestro John Storgards. I also appeared in several educational concerts and a donor fundraiser event playing bass clarinet with the DSO.
April 2013
On April 10th, I'm honored to join the talented 2013 Kresge Fellow Shara Worden and her band My Brightest Diamond for the opening performance of the Art X Festival in downtown Detroit. This festival showcases the artists, poets, dancers, and musicians that have been awarded fellowships from the Kresge Arts Foundation, and celebrates the flourishing art scene of downtown Detroit. Shara is a unique composer, performer, and artist that is both engaging to listen to and captivating to watch. Her performance/sound installation will take place at 7pm in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, then migrate to the First Congregational Church Detroit a few blocks down. Come down and join us! It will be an awesome show. For more information, see here.
February 2013
Take a listen: I appeared recently on the Detroit radio station WRCJ 90.9FM, on the second half of the program Unmasked with host Jimmy Rhoades. We talked about some of my favorite recordings, performers, and what it's like to be a clarinetist. If you missed it, you can listen to the archived broadcast here. (Scroll down to the "myTunes" segment from March 3rd, 2013.)
Are you a clarinet student? I will be teaching two clarinet workshops through the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts this upcoming summer, July 29th-August 2nd. Geared towards the serious middle or high school student, these affordable workshops are designed to augment existing clarinet technique while gaining a head-start on new skills for the upcoming school season.
September 2012
Join me for another concert at the Detroit Institute of Arts, this time featuring the music of fellow Detroiter Joel Peterson. He's a 2010 Kresge Artist Fellow, and this concert will feature his recent compositions for mixed chamber ensembles with musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Sunday Music Bar, September 9th. See you there!
June 2012
Just announced! I'll be appearing with my incredibly talented colleagues Amphion Percussion and Jamie Jordan in multiple concerts at the Detroit Institute of Arts on August 3rd and 5th. We'll be doing four shows, each with different repertoire, so come check us out!
We're on the Friday Night Live! and Sunday Music Bar shows, with an interlude on Friday consisting of puppets! Who can beat that??
I am very excited to announce some very cool projects that I'm up to this year. Check out the details on my Concerts page. Here are some of my favorites:
- • Book opening with Terry Blackhawk and Protea. October 9th at Trinosophes, Detroit. Live poetry readings by Terry Blackhawk and others. Music by Marilyn Biery.
- • Announcing Lumino. Modern music with Sonia Lee, violin and John Etsell, piano. November 16th at Trinosophes, Detroit. Repertoire to include Bartok, Milhaud, Ives, Glass, Burhans, Bolcom, and Peterson.
- • Recording Project with Louise Toppins, soprano. "Summer. Life. Song." by Adolphus Hailstork, for soprano, clarinet, and string quartet. CD forthcoming.
- • Guest on Canadian Chamber Series 4th Wall Music. "Jazz Fusion-The Third Stream" at the Capitol Theater in Windsor, November 24th.
- • Madonna University Faculty Recital. Playing the work of Martinu with Linette Popoff-Parks, piano, February 12th.
- • Appearances with the Grand Rapids and West Michigan Symphonies, among others. Diverse programming, from pops to classics, on clarinet, bass clarinet, and Eb clarinet.
What a whirlwind of this past season! With a last minute engagement with The Who on their "Moving on!" tour in Grand Rapids, to an appearance at the Big Ears Festival with Harold Budd, a ProMusica concert with Joel Peterson at The Cube, and appearances with the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Michigan Opera Theatre, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, I've had barely a minute to say hello. Well, here I go...Hello! I am so very grateful for your love and encouragement, and can't wait to tell you about what next season brings. Soon!
Big Ears Festival (2019)
I'm extremely excited to be collaborating with very special musicians at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee this March. In October, I met the legendary composer Harold Budd, and was invited to perform in his evening-long work, As Long As I Can Hold My Breath from his album Avalon Sutra at the Big Ears Festival this March. Collaborators in this project include Tim Story (piano and electronics), Terrence Budd (guitar and keyboards), Sean Connors (percussion), and many others. See here for this year's amazing lineup, including this show on the evening of March 24th. Hope to see you there!
New Protea date announced (2019)
If you've missed us, don't fret: we've just booked another date for our trio this May. We'll be appearing on the "Sounds of Music" house concert in the gorgeous and historic Boston Edison district in Detroit. Come see us up close and personal, and tour a beautiful historical house too! More information for this show on May 4th here.
Protea at the Block (2016)
We are very excited to be included in the chamber series of the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. They recently opened a pristine space near the hall called The Block, and if you're in the area it will certainly be a night of intimate and exciting music. We'll be presenting our program "Crossing the Equator" again with a few variations. (more)
Protea at the Detroit Institute of Arts (2016)
On August 26th, come out to the beautiful Rivera Court at the DIA to hear our current program, "Crossing the Equator," which will feature the works of both North and South American composers including Astor Piazzolla, Paquito D'Rivera, Miguel del Aguila, Catherine McMichael and Valerie Coleman. We are so fortunate to be working with the exceptionally talented local Detroit writer, poet, and Kresge Literary Arts recipient Marsha Music, reciting the poetry of Langston Hughes and excerpts from her own work. (more)
Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (2016)
I am so very excited to be apart of this exceptional Broadway production touring Detroit at the Fisher Theatre in October. Come out and peek into the pit and say hi! (more)
Art X 2015 with poet Terry Blackhawk
I am looking forward to collaborating with poet Terry Blackhawk, who was recently named an Artist Fellow by the Kresge Foundation, in an upcoming performance during Detroit's Art X Festival on April 25th at 2:30 and 4:30 pm. Her poems will be set to music, video projections, a short film, and dramatic readings. I'll be working with a great team of performers to create a unique and creative performance experience. The show is free but reservations are required. See here for more details.
Quartet for the End of Time at the Toledo Museum of Art
On May 30th, 2015, I'll be performing a seminal work of the twentieth century, Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Olivier Messiaen, in the Great Gallery of the Toledo Museum of Art. Surrounded by classical works of art, this is a show not to be missed. I'll be joined by a spectacular set of musicians from the Toledo Symphony, Bowling Green State University, and New York City. Please refer to the museum website for more information.
Der Golem at the Detroit Film Theater, with original score by Joel Peterson, October 31st, 2014
Der Golem: How He Came into the World is a 1920 silent horror film masterpiece co-directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener, and it's a perfect pick for Halloween night. This performance will be the world premiere of Joel Peterson's musical score to the film, and I'll be one of four musicians performing it inside the pit of this beautifully restored theater, located within the Detroit Institute of Arts. More information here.
Chamber Music at Trinosophes, September 14th 2014, 7 p.m.
We've got another great show planned at Trinosophes, the superb music/art/cafe space in Eastern Market, Detroit. The concert includes modern chamber music with my talented colleagues Dennis Carter (flute), Mariah Mlynarek (piano) and Jennifer Goltz (soprano). Repertoire to include favorites from composers Liebermann, Frank, Skelton, Coleman, Argento, Copland, and Villa-Lobos. More information can be found here or here.
June 20th, 2014, 7 and 8:30pm shows at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Last minute event added at the DIA! Dennis Carter, Mariah Mlynarek, Jennifer Goltz, and I will be apart of their Friday Night Live! series in the DIA's beautiful Rivera Court. The show is entitled "Wind and Song: an Evening of Contemporary Wind Music and Cabaret" and we'll be performing selections from Jolivet, Skelton, Debussy, Chambers, Liebermann, Bolcom, Argento, Copland, and Villa-Lobos. Come out if you can! More information here.
Summer Workshops just announced
This summer I will again be teaching the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts Clarinet Workshop for both Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers. This workshop, from August 11-15, is an informative, affordable, and fun way for students to advance their skills and get a jump on the new year. If you'd like to read more about the program, check out our review in the local Macomb paper here. For more information and to sign up, please visit here.
May 30th, 2014, 8pm at Trinosophes
Come out and hear some contemporary music at the Detroit venue Trinosophes at the end of May. I'll be performing 20th and 21st century trios from the repertoire with the ever-talented Mariah Mlynarek on piano and Joe Deller on violin. Repertoire to include works by Ives, Milhaud, Menotti, Rorem, and Daugherty. More information here.
May 2nd, 2014, 8pm at the Ford Performing Arts Center in Dearborn
I'm one proud teacher! My student, Allen Chang, won a competition to perform as a soloist with the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. He'll be performing a movement of Weber's Second Clarinet Concerto with the orchestra. You can read a review of the performance in the local press here.
April 26, 2014, Trinosophes, Detroit
I'm appearing in another show with chanteuse Shara Worden and her band, My Brightest Diamond, this time in a presentation by Ann Arbor's University Musical Society entitled "In Cahoots!." The show is the final event of the Detroit Culture Lab, a week of events that celebrates Detroit's design and entrepreneurial talent, and takes place at Trinosophes in Detroit. You can find more information here.
March 2, 2014, Kerrytown Concert House, Ann Arbor
My yet-to-be-named trio is headlining a concert this weekend entitled, "One Hundred Years: Contemporary Wind Music, 1913-2013" at the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor at 7:30pm. The show features wind repertoire from the last one hundred years, including rarely heard pieces from Aaron Copland and Andre Jolivet, and a newly comissioned piece from Evan Chambers entitled Atonement. The program also includes works from Villa-Lobos, Debussy, Lowell Lieberman, and Gabriela Lena Frank.
This show features the wonderful talent of Dennis Carter on flute, Mariah Mlynarek on piano, and Jennifer Goltz on soprano. This show is especially exciting for me, as I am apart of the commissioning consortium that funded Evan Chamber's new work, Atonement, for clarinet and piano with optional soprano, that will be performed that night. Even though this is not the official premiere
(Kimberly Cole Luevano, consortium leader, performed the premiere at EMU last month), it's a first performance for me and will be an exciting one! Check out the link here.
On Tour, March 2014
In late March, I'll be traveling on tour for three weeks with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players performing principal clarinet on their show, H.M.S. Pinafore. The NYGASP company, led by expert Albert Bergeret, is THE preeminent G&S company in America, and some of the finest singers around fill its ranks. We'll be traveling throughout the midwest, visiting towns in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio. If you'd like to follow us on the road, visit their blog here.
Wrapping up the rest of 2013
I haven't updated my website in awhile because of the flurry of activity in the summer and fall of 2013. I've made it through (phew!) but have left you all behind. Here's a recap of the highlights:
• Appearances with Shara Worden and My Brightest Diamond at Art X, MusicNOW in Cincinnati, Laneway Festival at Meadowbrook in Detroit, and at Lincoln Center's Out of Doors Festival in New York City. The last festival, Out of Doors, was especially exciting, as we packed Damrosch Band Shell, appearing on the same bill as Emily Wells and the Kronos Quartet
• I appeared as a special guest with Amphion Percussion in a recital at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and at the awesome jazz and new music venue Constellation in Chicago
• I've been performing with a new-yet-to-be-named trio with Dennis Carter (fl) and Mariah Mlynarek (pno), performing a show at the new venue Trinosophes in Detroit.
• The freelance orchestral season was especially fruitful, as I appeared as an extra-musician with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, playing contrabass clarinet in Ligeti's Lontano with Maestro John Storgards. I also appeared in several educational concerts and a donor fundraiser event playing bass clarinet with the DSO.
April 2013
On April 10th, I'm honored to join the talented 2013 Kresge Fellow Shara Worden and her band My Brightest Diamond for the opening performance of the Art X Festival in downtown Detroit. This festival showcases the artists, poets, dancers, and musicians that have been awarded fellowships from the Kresge Arts Foundation, and celebrates the flourishing art scene of downtown Detroit. Shara is a unique composer, performer, and artist that is both engaging to listen to and captivating to watch. Her performance/sound installation will take place at 7pm in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, then migrate to the First Congregational Church Detroit a few blocks down. Come down and join us! It will be an awesome show. For more information, see here.
February 2013
Take a listen: I appeared recently on the Detroit radio station WRCJ 90.9FM, on the second half of the program Unmasked with host Jimmy Rhoades. We talked about some of my favorite recordings, performers, and what it's like to be a clarinetist. If you missed it, you can listen to the archived broadcast here. (Scroll down to the "myTunes" segment from March 3rd, 2013.)
Are you a clarinet student? I will be teaching two clarinet workshops through the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts this upcoming summer, July 29th-August 2nd. Geared towards the serious middle or high school student, these affordable workshops are designed to augment existing clarinet technique while gaining a head-start on new skills for the upcoming school season.
September 2012
Join me for another concert at the Detroit Institute of Arts, this time featuring the music of fellow Detroiter Joel Peterson. He's a 2010 Kresge Artist Fellow, and this concert will feature his recent compositions for mixed chamber ensembles with musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Sunday Music Bar, September 9th. See you there!
June 2012
Just announced! I'll be appearing with my incredibly talented colleagues Amphion Percussion and Jamie Jordan in multiple concerts at the Detroit Institute of Arts on August 3rd and 5th. We'll be doing four shows, each with different repertoire, so come check us out!
We're on the Friday Night Live! and Sunday Music Bar shows, with an interlude on Friday consisting of puppets! Who can beat that??