Clarinet Choir and WW Quintet Welcomes New Director

Posted on December 5, 2018
in Announcements
by Administrator

We are pleased to have Miriam Culley join the Tri-State Ensemble team this year as the new Director of the Clarinet Choir and Woodwind Quintet.

They Say that “variety is the very spice of life”, and in classical clarinetist Miriam Culley’s life, her range of performance experiences and positions makes her life very interesting, indeed. From orchestral music festivals in Sapporo, Japan with world-renowned conductor Leonard Bernstein—through contests in Munich, Germany, which earned her Fischoff-winning Woodwind Quintet a Top Ten Munich Placement—Miriam’s versatility is evident and playing clarinet is the main ingredient. But her journeys always lead her home to …Cincinnati’s vibrant music scene.

Here at home Miriam spices things up participating in classical to free educational concerts with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (IN) and performing with her beloved hometown ensemble, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (featuring their new and exciting Summermusik festival). Summermusik provides her more orchestral experience along with opportunities to curate and perform small chamber music concerts.

In addition, Ms. Culley not only makes frequent appearances with the Dayton Philharmonic clarinet section in their classical Masterworks series, but she’s also played a jazzy solo at the microphone and be-bopped on the Bass Clarinet with a MoTown guest artist group as part of the Dayton Pop Series.

Miriam has appeared with many orchestras across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and here at home in Cincinnati’s active music culture. She performed with the Cincinnati Symphony, Opera and Pops orchestras, the Columbus Symphony, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, and the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra.

Her favorite and most inspiring musical memory was the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble’s performance of the Grammy-nominated Oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson: Considering Matthew Shepard. Matthew Shepard reminds Miriam of one of the reasons why she plays the clarinet: to create beautiful music to inspire and transport the listener to a new place of deep feeling.

Miriam has a thriving teaching studio in the Milford and West Clermont school systems as well as at home. Many of her students participate in the Cincinnati Youth (and Jr.) Wind Ensembles, District 14 Honor Band and Ohio All Sate band.