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United States of America
Fervent contemporary music proponent, Iowa State University professor, Des Moines Symphony principal clarinet
Gregory Oakes is an exciting and energetic clarinetist performer and a passionate champion of the music of our time. From his Carnegie Hall debut with members of Ensemble Intercontemporain and Pierre Boulez to his performances as a member of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Oakes has been praised by critics for his “outstanding performance” (New York Times) and “jazzy flourishes” (Denver Post). His performance highlights include a concerto with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Telluride Jazz Festival with Grammy® Award-winner Terence Blanchard, a concert at Amsterdam’s venerable new music hall De IJsbreker, and a solo feature at Berlin’s prestigious MaerzMusik festival. Oakes has performed at multiple International Clarinet Association ClarinetFests, the University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, the New Music Gathering, and the International Computer Music Conference. He has performed throughout the United States, Brazil, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Thailand. He has held residencies at Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth, Aspen, and Amsterdam's STEIM. His CD Aesthetic Apparatus: Clarinet Chamber Music of Helmut Lachenmann appears on the New Focus Recordings label. His other recordings appear on Bridge, Centaur, CRI, Gothic, Karnatic Lab Records, and Naxos and broadcasts on National Public Radio. Oakes is on the faculty of Iowa State University and is principal clarinet of the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra. He is a Buffet Group USA and Vandoren Performing Artist.
Experience & Education
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Iowa State University 2008 – Present
Clarinet ProfessorI teach clarinet at Iowa State University, a Big 12 school with 36,000 students. -
Des Moines Symphony Orchestra 2011 – Present
Principal ClarinetI perform as the principal clarinet for the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, a premiere regional orchestra in the midwest. -
Colorado Symphony Orchestra 1999 – 2001
Second/Eb ClarinetIn my former life, I was a full-time orchestral performer. -
Central City Opera 1998 – 2010
Second/Bass ClarinetCentral City Opera is one of the premier summer opera training programs in the United States. I was as a member of the orchestra for 13 seasons.
Reviews
Carlos
February
Maestro Gregory Oakes is an excellent teacher, easily relates new students, he explains every kind of details in a clearly way so you can fix every issue you might have. 100% recommended!
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