Dr. Stephanie Zelnick
D.M.A. University of Northern Colorado; M.M. University of Northern Colorado; B.M Rice University; B.A. Rice University
Stephanie Zelnick, Associate Professor of clarinet at the University of Kansas and Principal Clarinetist of the Central City Opera and Boulder Philharmonic Orchestras, has emerged as one of the most dynamic performers of her generation. The San Francisco Classical Voice has described her playing as “simply sublime,” while the Boulder Daily Camera praised her “exquisite clarinet solos.” Steven Ritter of Audiophile Audition called her rendition of Morton Gould’s Derivations, “…fabulous in the piece, bringing her considerable all to focus in a most rewarding performance-hopefully one that will inspire other clarinetists…”
Dr. Zelnick has appeared as a soloist in venues throughout the United States, Asia, South America and Europe, including as a soloist in the Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall; The Academy for the Performing Arts, Prague, Czech Republic; FestaCamera in Medellin, Colombia; the Academia Musicale Vincenzo Bellini in Salerno, Italy; the European Day of Jewish Music in Novi Sad, Serbia; the Berkshire Music Trust in Reading, England; the Congreso del Clarineto in Madrid, Spain; the Timisoara Muzicala Academica in Romania and the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan and the International Music Festival of the Escola de Musica e Artes Cenicas da Universidade Federal de Goias in Goiania, Brazil. In 2013-2014 she made two trips to perform and teach in Lithuania, the first sponsored by the American Embassy, the next by the Lithuanian Council for Arts and Sciences. She was also sponsored by Privrednik, Serbia's oldest humanitarian organization, to teach and play concerts throughout the country. Within the clarinet community, she has performed and taught at numerous International Clarinet Association ClarinetFests, the OU Clarinet Symposium, and taught masterclasses at notable institutions, including the Juilliard School, the University of Michigan, the Eastman School of Music, and the Florida State University.
Dr. Zelnick is currently the principal clarinet of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and the Central City Opera, both located in Colorado. She has performed with many orchestras throughout the United States and Europe including the Colorado, Tucson, Kansas City Symphonies, and held positions in the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Symphony, and the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra. As a recording artist, she has recently released recordings of Morton Gould's Derivations as a featured soloist on the Naxos label; Waves of Stone on the Innova label; and Appunti di Viaggio, produced by the Accademia Italiana del Clarinetto. Her solo album, Diaspora: Music by Jewish Composers for Clarinet, was released in 2012. Her playing can be heard weekly on NPR and Colorado Public Radio. Zelnick has been broadcast on WFMT, Chicago, as part of the Dame Myra Hess Artist Series, and featured on television series in Serbia and Italy.
While residing in Europe, she performed with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic, the Prague Opera, and the Johann Strauss Opera in Vienna. She has toured Europe as a soloist and a member of the Prague International Trio, performing in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany. She remains a member of the Prague-based chamber ensemble Classicon XX.
With Mariam Adam, clarinetist of the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds, she co-founded the AdZel Duo, which strives to enhance cultural dialogues through music. Recently their AdZel Duo recorded Mohammed Fairouz's “Ughniat” and Anne Guzzo's “The Color of Honey” as part of their ongoing commitment to diverse elements in new music. These works have also been compiled into a show written by Denmo Ibrahim entitiled, The Fish Tailed Maiden, which was recently performed at the Delaware Clarinet Day and Western Michigan University.
Dr. Zelnick is committed to teaching her brilliant students at the University of Kansas. Recent graduates have gone on to positions around the world, including the University of the West in Timisoara, Romania, Universidades Federal in Goiania, Brazil, University of Delaware, Concordia University, and Dickinson State University, to name only a few. Her students have been published on numerous occasions in the Clarinet and have appeared as soloists and chamber musicians at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest. Dr. Zelnick’s teaching also extends to numerous outreach and El Sistema projects, including her work with the People’s Music School in Chicago and the Red de Musica de Medellin.
Dr. Zelnick graduated from Rice University with a bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance. She was the recipient of a Fulbright Grant and received an Artist Diploma at the Academy for the Performing Arts in Prague. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Zelnick is a member of the national peer review committee for the Fulbright Commission. She is also a Buffet-Crampon sponsored Artist/Clinician.
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