James Campbell

   Indiana University

James Campbell's journeys as Canada's most honored and distinguished clarinetist have taken him to the world's major concert halls throughout North and South America, across Britain and Europe, Australia, Japan and China. Campbell has followed his muse to five television specials, more than 30 recordings, a Juno Award (Stolen Gems), a Roy Thomson Hall Award, the 1989  Canada's Artist of the Year and the Order of Canada (1997).  He has collaborated with many of the world's great musicians including the late Glenn Gould, performances with Elly Ameling, Janos Starker, Aaron Copland, and has been guest soloist with over fifty orchestras. Of Cambell's discography, many recordings have won international acclaim, including the Weber Clarinet Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Mozart and Copland Concertos with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He has also recently recorded the world premiere of Brahms Sonata Op. 120 No. 1,  orchestrated by Luciano Berio, with the London Symphony Orchestra on Cala Records; and the Brahms Clarinet Sonatas for Marquis Records. During the 1998-99 season, Campbell will record the Jenner Trio and the Finzi Concerto with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, for CBC Records. As Artistic Director of Festival of the Sound, Mr. Campbell celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a special program "Music from the Sound" during the months of July and August 1999.  He also performed at Festivals in Holland and Japan during the summer of 1999. Since 1989, James Campbell makes Bloomington Indiana his base during the academic year as Professor of Music at the prestigious Music School of Indiana University. He performs on Selmer Recital clarinets with a Pyne Pk Signature mouthpiece.

Urban Claesson

Gothenburg Symphony

Urban Claesson, principal clarinet of the Gothenburg Symphony. The outstanding Swedish virtuoso, Mr. Claesson has been hailed for his recent performances of the Corigliano Concerto and, while in London, performed the Mozart Quintet with the renowned Amadeus Quartet. He is Professor at Gothenburg College and is much sought after as a soloist and chamber musician. His teachers have been Sten Petterssen in Sweden and Anthony Pay at the National Centre for Orchestral Studies in London. Mr. Claesson performs on a handcrafted Pyne/Clarion Bc model Signature mouthpiece and Buffet clarinets

Russell Dagon

Milwaukee Symphony

Northwestern University

Mr. Dagon, principal clarinetist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, also serves as Professor of clarinet at Northwestern University.  As a frequent soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony his performances have been heard on syndicated broadcasts throughout North America and Great Britain.  He is an active recitalist, chamber musician, soloist and artist clinician for Buffet/Crampon.  Mr. Dagon's summers are spent coaching National Youth Orchestra of Canada.  His teachers have been Stanley Hasty, Jerome Stowell and Cloyde Williams.  Mr. Dagon performs on  Buffet R13 clarinets, a Pyne model Ck mouthpiece, Olivieri reeds and a Kaspar ligature.   Russell's favorite pre-concert dish is Bohemian pork and sauerkraut prepared par excellence by his wife Sandy who just happens to be an excellent clarinetist as well.

Kathleen Gardiner Mulcahy

Freelance Artist
Washington, DC

Kathleen Gardiner Mulcahy is a freelance artist in the Washington, DC area appearing regularly with the National Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and Washington Concert Opera. She is principal clarinetist of the Roanoke Symphony and Virginia Chamber Orchestras and performs with Chicago's Grant Park Orchestra in the summer. Previously Ms. Mulcahy spent five years as the second and Eb clarinetist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and was instructor of clarinet at the State University of New York at Fredonia.  As a chamber musician, Ms. Mulcahy appears with the Fessenden Ensemble and Contemporary Music Forum in Washington, DC and is frequently heard in recital throughout the region.

Ms. Mulcahy holds the DMA and BM degrees from The Ohio State University and the MM degree from the Eastman School of Music.  Her teachers have included:  James Pyne, Kenneth Grant, and Peter Hadcock.  Kathleen performs on a Pyne Signature Nsk mouthpiece with a Pyne 1+ barrel, and a Pyne P+ Eb clarinet mouthpiece.

Kenneth John Grant
Rochester Philharmonic
Eastman School of Music

Kenneth John Grant is principal clarinet of the Rochester Philharmonic and artist faculty at the Eastman School of Music.  He is an active soloist and chamber musician as well.  His teachers have been Stanley Hasty, James Pyne, Franklin Cohen, and Theodore Johnson and he holds the BM and Performer's Certificate form the Eastman School. Mr. Grant has served as principal clarinet of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (1973-87), and Rochester Philharmonic (1987- present). As Soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic and Columbus Symphony he has performed several premieres including the Clarinet Concerto by Sydney Hodkinson (world premiere), and Benjamin Britten's Concerto Movement for Clarinet and Orchestra (United States premiere), both with the Rochester Philharmonic. Chamber music premieres include Verne Reynolds' Sonata for Clarinet and Piano and Fantasy Etudes for Clarinet, Percussion, and Piano. He was soloist for the Eastman Wind Ensemble Japan Tour (1994). He has been a soloist in the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium (June 1996), ICA ClarinetFest 1998 at Ohio State University, ICA ClarinetFest in New Orleans (2001), the International Festival at Round Top (2004, 2005), Aria International Summer Academy at Ball State University (2004, 2005) and has been a Faculty member, Eastman Summer Seminars in Hamamatsu, Japan. He also served as a Faculty member at Capital University (1978-87), Ohio Wesleyan University (1986-87) and since 1987, the Eastman School of Music.  Ken performs on Buffet R-13 clarinets, a Pyne model Pk mouthpiece, Olivieri or Vandoren V12 reeds and a Bay or Peterson-Pyne hand woven ligature. 

Howard Klug

Indiana University

Howard Klug has been a chamber musician, soloist and clinician throughout the United States, Great Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, Venezuela, China and Israel. A former member of the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., where he soloed on flute, clarinet and saxophone, Mr. Klug has also been principal clarinet of the Fresno Philharmonic, Bear Valley Festival Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.  He has also been a member of the Columbus (OH) Symphony Orchestra and the Grant Park Symphony.  Chamber music affiliations have included the Illinois Trio, the Illinois Woodwind Quintet, the Chicago Ensemble, Trio Indiana and fourte'. Mr. Klug's recent concerto performances have included appearances with the Belgian Radio Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and a tour of Belgium with the Kamerorkest of the Staatsacademie of Vilnius.  Some of his recent pedagogical activities, in addition to annual master classes at many of the world's finest music academies, have been as the artistic director of the Belgian Clarinet Academy, a Fulbright scholar in Iceland, a clinician at the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic and the creator of the publishing company "Woodwindiana", dedicated to new literature for young clarinetists.  Howard Klug is Professor of Clarinet at Indiana University, Bloomington. He performs on Rossi American bore clarinets with a Pyne model Bc Signature mouthpiece and a Pyne Handwoven String Ligature. On Bass Clarinet, a Pyne model P Signature mouthpiece.

Theodore Oien

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Theodore Oien, principal clarinetist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, is a sought-after chamber musician and a concerto soloist who has performed the concertos of Mozart, Weber, Molter, Debussy, Lutoslawski, Martin, Strauss, Finzi, and Copland, the last with the composer conducting. In the summers of 1994 and 1998 Mr. Oien was a featured recitalist at the International Clarinet Association's "ClarinetFest", a global conference of more than 600 clarinetists. Recent appearances have been as soloist at Meadow Brook with the Detroit Symphony, in Winnipeg with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, in Topeka with the Sunflower Music Festival and in Montevideo with the National Symphony Orchestra of Uruguay. In November 1999, he will be performing in a prestigious concert at Lincoln Center featuring principal players of leading orchestras of fifty nations in honor of the Twentieth Anniversary of Symphonicum Europae. A former student of Richard Waller and Robert Marcellus, Mr. Oien holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. He has recently presented master classes in Michigan, Louisiana and Ontario, Canada, and is a long-standing faculty member of Wayne State University and the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Oien performs on Buffet R13 clarinets, a Pyne ~M mouthpiece and handmade reeds.

Larry Passin  
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra

Larry Passin, Principal Clarinet of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, began his career as Principal Clarinet of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic at age 22, having just won the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition as a student of both Franklin Cohen and Ted Johnson.  In 1996 he joined the Aspen Music Festival as a faculty member and performer serving as Principal Clarinet in the Aspen Chamber Symphony and Festival Orchestra.  A frequent soloist, both in Spain and the United States, Larry has met with critical acclaim performing the Clarinet Concertos by Mozart, Weber, Copland and Neilsen.  His world premiere of the Concerto by Jesus Rodriguez-Pico is available on compact disc.  Mr. Passin performs on Buffet R-13 clarinets, a Pyne model  ~M mouthpiece, a Pyne model 4+ barrel and Vandoren reeds.  As a musical ambassador for American culture in Spain he traditionally hosts a homemade Thanksgiving feast that is much appreciated by his Spanish amigos.

Robert Spring

Arizona State University

Robert Spring's astonishing virtuosity and superb musicianship have sparked tremendous praise from the clarinet community.  It is a joy to experience his outstanding CD performances of works for clarinet by Joan Tower (the first recording of these works), Dragon's Tongue, a CD of virtuoso music for clarinet and wind band and a new recording, Tarentelle, a recording of violin music (played on clarinet) that Heifetz recorded. A wizard at special techniques like ultra-fast multiple articulation and circular breathing, Dr. Spring has published numerous articles on these and other contemporary procedures.  He holds the DMA degree from the University of Michigan and his teachers have been John Mohler, Paul Shaller and David Shifrin.  As professor of clarinet at Arizona State University, Dr. Spring hosted the highly successful 1995 ICA Clarinetfest and (apart from a few reed slivers in the tongue) made it all seem easy.  Bob performs on Buffet clarinets, Greenline in Bb and RC in A, Pyne Pk mouthpiece/#4+ barrel combination with handmade reeds.

Charles West

Virginia Commonwealth University

Charles West is an orchestral, chamber and solo clarinetist, performing recitals or concertos throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia.  He appears regularly in international venues as clarinetist and conductor, and he has recorded repertoire which ranges from the most standard of sonatas to the most avant-garde. He is heard on labels including Klavier, Wilson Audiophile, Centaur, CRI, Crystal, and on a 1993 Grammy Award-winning Telarc CD.

West holds the Doctorate and three other university degrees, has been a Fulbright Scholar, and he has been President of the International Clarinet Association. His career has included nearly thirty years as Principal Clarinetist in six different professional orchestras and opera companies, and he has held teaching positions in three North American universities, with guest professorships in South America, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the People's Republic of China.  West has been Conductor of Orchestras and opera conductor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and has served as conductor or adjudicator of bands and orchestras throughout the U.S. During his seven-year tenure as Conductor of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, the orchestra became recognized regionally for the standard of excellence that it set.  He is presently Professor of Music and Coordinator of Winds & Percussion at VCU, conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Charlottesville-Albemarle, and artist-clinician for the Buffet Crampon Corporation. Playing Buffet Festival and R-13 clarinets, most of West's recorded and public performances are on the Pyne M and Bn mouthpieces, with 66 millimeter Pyne 1+ barrels and his own handmade reeds. Dr. West’s book, “The Woodwind Player’s Cookbook: Creative Recipes for a Successful Performance,” was published in 2008 by Meredith Music Publications.

Stephen Williamson

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Mr. Williamson was appointed principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2003.  As a core member of the Met chamber ensemble, Stephen has performed extensively with Maestro James Levine both as soloist and chamber artist. As a Fullbright Scholar and featured artist for the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival he has performed widely in Europe with many distinguished musicians including members of the Berlin Philharmonic. He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, American Ballet theatre, New York City Opera, Soloisti NY Chamber Orchestra among others, and has recorded on Sony Classics, Telarc, CRI, BMG, and Decca labels. Mr. Williamson is on the faculty of Columbia University and the Mannes College of Music and is a graduate of both the Eastman (BM) and Juilliard (MM) Schools of Music. He resides in Rockland County with his wife Jill and their three sons Ryan, Connor and Matthew. Stephen has played Pyne mouthpieces exclusively for many years, including the Bel Canto and a special Bc/Jx hybrid model