Nancy Braithwaite, clarinetist
B i o g r a p h y
Nancy Braithwaite
Internationally renowned clarinetist and educator Nancy Braithwaite has performed throughout the USA, Europe and China. As a soloist, she has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, Savannah Symphony Orchestra and others in works by Mozart, Nielsen, von Weber and Rossini. In addition, she has been very active in chamber music with repertoire encompassing more than 400 works.
Braithwaite studied with Stanley Hasty at the renowned Eastman School of Music graduating with the highest musical distinction, the Performers Certificate.
While studying for her master's degree at Northwestern University with Robert Marcellus (former principal clarinetist of the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell), she worked as his teaching assistant in both clarinet and chamber music. In the USA she furthered her study with Larry Combs, former principal clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In Europe she earned a chamber music degree with the renowned violinist Eli Goren, former leader of the Allegri Quartet and Melos Ensemble and concertmaster of the BBC Symphony, and continued her clarinet studies with the internationally acclaimed Belgian soloist, Walter Boeykens.
At the age of 23 she won the position of principal clarinetist with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra. While there she was also chosen to participate in summer festivals in Spoleto (Italy), Maine (USA) and Tanglewood (USA). In addition she performed for several seasons as principal clarinet of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the training orchestra for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, while a student at Northwestern University,.
Since moving to The Netherlands , Nancy has made a number of radio recordings, toured throughout much of Europe and China and performed as guest artist with Camilli Quartet, Raphael Quartet, Goffriller Quartet, Spinoza Quartet, Engadin Quartet and Trio Microcosmos in works by Mozart, Brahms, Hindemith, Bliss, Fuchs, Coleridge Taylor ,Romberg, Keuris, Thomas Oboe Lee, Reger, Howells and von Weber. Numerous composers have written works for her ranging in instrumentation from solo clarinet to octet.
In recent years Nancy has performed extensively as a member of the Rietveld Ensemble (violin, clarinet, cello and piano ), Selima Trio (soprano, clarinet and piano), La Rondine (winds and piano), Trio Canteloube (oboe, clarinet and bassoon), Arto Ensemble (mezzo soprano, clarinet, violin, viola and cello), Emmelos Ensemble (octet with strings and winds), Trio Clara (clarinet, viola and piano), Frühling Trio (clarinet, cello and piano), Rondine Winds (wind octet) and regularly gives recitals with piano.
Braithwaite is founder and artistic director of the series Kromme-Rijn Concerten in Bunnik in which the Arto Ensemble functions as the core group performing with a wide variety of guest artists.
In addition, Nancy was a founding member of the “Rietveld Ensemble and Friends" concert series in 2014. The Rietveld Ensemble now performs a series of 8 or more chamber music concerts each season in their own series in Utrecht with instrumentations ranging from duo to nonet.
Since 2015 Nancy has toured China several times playing concerts and teaching masterclasses in Beijing, Hangzhou , Urumqi en Changchun, Luoyang, Chongqing and Zhengzhou and in March 2016 she visited China as a jury member for a major clarinet competition in Beijing.
She has taught a masterclass in Seoul, South Korea and has been invited to Spanish Conservatories in Málaga, Alicante and Castellón de la Plana as a visiting Erasmus professor to teach masterclasses in clarinet and chamber music and perform with her Spanish colleagues.
In October 2016 Braithwaite was a jury member for the clarinet competition on the Clarinet and Saxophone Association on Great Britain during their 40th anniversary celebration and she performed in the evening Gala Concert of this event.
In 2017 she recorded a CD of works by Edith Hemenway with Claron McFadden, soprano, Roberta Alexander, soprano, Vaughan Schlepp piano and Michael Stirling, cello titled "To Paradise for Onions:Songs and Chamber Works of Edith Hemenway" which received critical acclaim in the Dutch and American press.
Nancy was Professor of Clarinet and Chamber Music at the Rotterdam Conservatory (Codarts) The Netherlands for 33 years.
She endorses the Uebel Superior clarinets and is a member of the Silverstein Inspiring Pro team endorsing the Silverstein ligature.
Nancy Braithwaite is the mother of Amarins and Tsjalling Wierdsma and widow of the Dutch conductor Oane Wierdsma.
From a review by Raul de Gama in World Music Report:
"Miss Braithwaite has mastered the diabolically difficult clarinet in a manner that few can claim to have. Hers is a genius for unlocking the mystique of both the arts of the word and music to make us feel the glinting lights, mysterious depths, expectations, frustrations, hopes, doubts and joys of the human experience. In sheer colour and variety, in the depth of characterisation and the exceptional range and refinement of her musicianship she imparts a power and stature to this music (and poetry). "