6. Yale School of Music – New Haven, CT
Notable Faculty: David Shifrin
Students of David Shifrin, an excellent and reputable orchestral musician who served as principal clarinetist under the baton of Leopold Stokowski with the American Symphony, find themselves consistently ranked among the top clarinetists in the country, along with students from MSM, Juilliard, and Curtis. Shifrin is considered a master of his instrument, particularly in modern repertoire, having recorded works by Osvaldo Golijov and premiering a work by the late Stephen Albert.
Listen to the Faculty: Check out David Shifrin performing, alongside the Emerson String Quartet, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintets.
5. Curtis Institute of Music – Philadelphia, PA
Notable Faculty: Donald Montanaro, Ricardo Morales
A faculty comprised of an old-world master of clarinet performance and education in Donald Montanaro, as well as a musician famous for his supreme virtuosity in Ricardo Morales, principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Curtis Institute offers free of tuition, as it does for every musical department, one of the most heralded programs of clarinet. Yearly, Curtis clarinet graduates are sent to major orchestras, graduate programs at the top music schools in America, young artist residencies, and often make a niche for themselves as successful freelancers. Studying with Montanaro and Morales is, indubitably, a high mark for a young woodwind musician.
Listen to the Faculty: Check out Ricardo Morales on the CD French Portraits
4. New England Conservatory – Boston, MA
Notable Faculty: Richard Stoltzman, Michael Wayne, Thomas Martin
The most widely known classical clarinetist and in demand clarinet soloist of North America, the Grammy-winning artist Richard Stoltzman, who has performed with over 100 orchestras and is equally versatile in classical, world, and jazz genres, has taught many of the most successful clarinet soloists of our time, including musician Bharat Chandra. Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians Michael Wayne and Thomas Martin round out the impressive faculty at the New England Conservatory, a school that accepts a small studio of outstanding chamber and orchestral classical clarinetists.
Listen to the Faculty: Check out Richard Stoltzman performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.