Clarinetist Jon Manasse performed to international acclaim as soloist with such orchestras as the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra; the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; the symphonies of Baltimore, Indianapolis, and Seattle; and in musical centers worldwide. Mr. Manasse tours with pianist Jon Nakamatsu as the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo, whose Harmonia Mundi recording of Brahms’ Clarinet Sonatas was selected by the New York Times as the best of 2008. In 2013, Harmonia Mundi released his recording of Brahms’ Clarinet Quintets with the Tokyo String Quartet. He has collaborated with many of the leading string quartets including the Emerson, American, and Ying. Commissioned and premiered works include those by John Novacek, Paquito D’Rivera, James Cohn, Lowell Liebermann, Gordon Goodwin, Anna Clyne, and Vivian Fung. Mr. Manasse has served as Principal Clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and currently serves as principal for the American Ballet Theater, the Mostly Mozart Festival, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He toured as Guest Principal Clarinetist with the Cleveland Orchestra both at home and abroad on its 2013 European tour.
Mr. Manasse is on the faculties of The Juilliard School as well as Lynn and Mannes conservatories. Together with Jon Nakamatsu, he serves as Artistic Co-Director of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival.
