We were so happy to attend Amanda Morrison’s 1st Steel City Clarinet Day. Amanda is an amazing teacher and offered a wonderful opportunity to her community to hear some amazing clarinetists including the following ‘Clarinetist of Steel’:
Ryan Leonard, to the day’s final concert line-up. Ryan earned his BFA and MM at Carnegie Mellon University as a student of Thomas Thompson and Michael Rusinek. He has held positions with the Sarasota Opera, Opera Steamboat, the Westmoreland Symphony, and the Incidental Chamber Players. Ryan has performed as guest principal clarinet of the Erie Philharmonic, Wheeling Symphony and Youngstown Symphony and has soloed with the Westmoreland Symphony, Resonance Works Pittsburgh, and the Edgewood Symphony. He has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Omaha Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet orchestras.
Kira Bokalders, will be performing some Mendelsshon on the day’s final concert. Kira maintains a dynamic music career playing with some of the Pittsburgh Tri-State region’s finest ensembles, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera, and Wheeling Symphony. In addition to performing, Kira maintains an active private teaching studio in the Pittsburgh region. Join Kira on September 8!
Rachael Cohen, will perform on the day’s final concert. She currently holds the position of Second Clarinet with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and frequently performs with orchestras in the Pittsburgh region and the Kassia Ensemble. Rachael teaches all levels of students at Johnstonbaugh’s Music Center.
JANICE COPPOLA, is joining us on stage for the final concert. Janice received her B.M. and M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music and also attended the North Carolina School of the Arts (UNSCA) for high school. Ms. Coppola is currently performing as a klezmer soloist and freelance musician in the Pittsburgh area, New Jersey and New York. She is currently playing with and writing music for KleZlectic, a klezmer group in Pittsburgh.
Nolan Petote is the woodwind coordinator for PYCO, an active chamber musician, and private instructor that holds a BM from Duquesne University and MM and Advanced Music Studies Degrees from Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Rosemary Engelstad is Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Engelstad holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland and degrees in clarinet performance from Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Engelstad has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, South Korea, China, Italy, Russia, and Belgium. She is a founding member of Duo LaRo with clarinerist Laura Mclaughlin. Having an interest in somatics and body awareness, her current research focuses on movement and the application of somatic methods to clarinet pedagogy. Engelstad is a MovNat Certified Trainer, Andover Educator (Body Mapping) Trainee, and student in massage therapy and Craniosacral Therapy.
Dr. Lynda Dembowski is Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at both Towson University and Anne Arundel Community College (AACC). She directs the AACC Clarinet Choir, an ensemble in its fifth season of active performances for the campus and local community. Dembowski is Principal Clarinet of the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra, and Second Clarinet and charter member of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra. She is an active solo, orchestral, and chamber music performer in the Baltimore/ Washington D.C.area and a member of the United States Naval Academy Band.
Thank you Amanda for hosting such a wonderful clarinet day! We can’t wait until next year.
