The Clarinet Channel

The Meridian Clarinet Quartet, established in February 2023, is comprised of four accomplished musicians from prominent orchestras across the United States. Our name, 'Meridian,' signifies our converging paths here in the United States, all of us having traveled from one side of the globe to the other to embark on our respective musical journeys. It also symbolizes our aspiration to reach the great artistic heights only possible through sensitive and thoughtful collaboration, the musical thread passing through each of us before being transmitted to our audiences. Our mission is deeply rooted in nurturing appreciation for the enchanting world of clarinet music while fostering the talents of future generations.

All members of the Meridian Clarinet Quartet are Buffet Crampon Artists. Yao Guang Zhai, Lin Ma, and Sang Yoon Kim also hold the title of Vandoren Artists, while Tzuying is recognized as a D'Addario Artist and Sang Yoon Kim as a Silverstein Pro Team Artist.

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The Meridian Clarinet quartet has multiple concerts and masterclasses coming up in December! For more info, check out their website:

Meridian Clarinet Quartet Website: www.meridianclarinetquartet.com

Clarinet Channel Instagram : @theclarinetchannel

Clarinet Channel Email: [email protected]

Theme Music : “Bossa Nueva” - Rick Ivanoff / “Break Away To Adelaide” - The Guild of Jazz Musicians

Dr. Larkin Sanders is a native of Branson, Missouri, and currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri where she is the clarinet instructor at Washburn University and William Jewell College, owns the Clever Clarinetist (a clarinet specialty store), is the Executive-Artistic Director of the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, is the utility clarinetist for the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and performs frequently with a variety of other ensembles. Dr. Sanders is a performing artist for Henri Selmer Paris, D’Addario & Co., Brian Corbin Clarinet Products, and she is a Silverstein Pro Team Artist. In addition to her activities as a clarinetist, teacher, and administrator, Dr. Sanders is also a composer and author of several books and self-publishes her original compositions and clarinet methods.

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Clever Clarinetist Website : www.cleverclarinetist.com/

Dr. Larkin’s Festival : www.taneycomofestivalorchestra.org/

Clarinet Channel Instagram : @theclarinetchannel

Theme Music : “Bossa Nueva” - Rick Ivanoff / “Break Away To Adelaide” - The Guild of Jazz Musicians

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Eric Mrugala is a violinist who performs and educates about the violin.

Eric is an active teacher in the Boston-area serving as a violin faculty member at the Sharon Music Academy, Concord Conservatory of Music, and All Newton Music School. His students have won top prizes in the International Crescendo Little Mozarts Competition and was awarded Best Teacher Award by the Crescendo International Music Competition. 

In addition to teaching, Eric enjoys an active performance career. He has performed with New England ensembles like the Berkshire Symphony, Bennington Chorale, Keene Chorale, Cape Ann Symphony and Boston Philharmonia. Mrugala has made appearances in Boston Symphony Hall, Sanders Theater, Kresge Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Hall, Royal Concertgebouw Hall, De Doulen Hall, Smetana Hall, Dvorak Hall, UMass Amherst Concert Hall, and Bezanson Recital Hall. His past engagements include collaborating with living composers and performing alongside members of the Fifth House Ensemble at Fresh Inc Festival. Other chamber music experiences include the Brancaleoni International Music Festival in Italy, and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, VT.  

Eric also enjoys performing different genres outside of classical music. Past engagements include performing with Iranian violinist Bijan Mortazavi at Berklee Performance Center, Freda World Music in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and most recently with Grammy Award Winner Vijay Prakash in Worcester's Hannover Theatre. 

Eric Mrugala received his Bachelor's Degree at the Boston Conservatory, and completed his Masters degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a Graduate Quartet Fellow, and a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Violin/Viola Memorial Award. Eric Mrugala's previous teachers include Edyta Mrugala, Rictor Noren, and Elizabeth Chang.  

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Eric’s Youtube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/@erictheviolinist 

The Violin Podcast : https://open.spotify.com/show/2djJNr8L3v5BUivG43Gala

Everyday Musician Podcast : https://open.spotify.com/show/6XcaeM689H5PL7bRShMAa0

Clarinet Channel Instagram : @theclarinetchannel

Theme Music : “Bossa Nueva” - Rick Ivanoff / “Break Away To Adelaide” - The Guild of Jazz Musicians

Critically praised for “brilliant and stunning” performances, “terrific virtuosic playing,” and “a fine sense of drama,” David Cook is Associate Professor of Clarinet and Chair of Instrumental Performance Studies at Millikin University, Principal Clarinet of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, and clarinetist for the Appian Duo (with Emily Grabinski, piano) and the Greyline Duo (with Alexandra Rodriguez, flute). Previously a member of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lieurance Woodwind Quintet, and the wind quintet Fiati Five, David has also performed with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, Northbrook Symphony, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Heartland Festival Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Norman Philharmonic, and the Texas Music Festival Orchestra. As a chamber musician, David has performed at Chamber Music Campania, with the Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble, and with the From the Edge Chamber Music Series.

David has been recognized in numerous competitions including The American Prize for Instrumental Performance, the American Virtuoso International Music Competition, the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition, the Oklahoma Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the White Lake Chamber Music Festival Solo Competition. Past appearances include the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest®, the College Music Society National Conference, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Conference, the American Single Reed Summit, the Amicitia Clarinet Extravaganza, the Clarinet Colloquium at Texas A&M University-Commerce, the KNOB New Music Festival, and recitals across the United States and abroad. In 2022, David’s book Clarinet Conditioning: Warm-Ups and Perspectives, featuring contributions from clarinetists including members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, was published by Conway Publications. His research appears in Clarinet, NACWPI Journal, and Instrumentalist.

David holds Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education degrees from Central Michigan University, Master of Music degrees in clarinet performance and chamber music from the University of Michigan, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in clarinet performance and the Master of Music degree in music theory from the University of Oklahoma. His principal teachers include Suzanne Tirk, Chad Burrow, Theodore Oien, and Kennen White. David is a Buffet Crampon USA Performing Artist and a member of the Silverstein Works PRO Team, performing exclusively on Buffet Crampon clarinets and Silverstein Works ligatures. 

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Dr. Cook’s Links:

Website: www.davidcookclarinet.com

Instagram: @davidycook1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidycook1

Twitter: @davidycook1

Book, Clarinet Conditioning: Warm-Ups and Perspectives: https://conway-publications.com/product/clarinet-conditioning-warm-ups-and-perspectives/

Clarinet Channel Instagram : @theclarinetchannel

Theme Music : “Bossa Nueva” - Rick Ivanoff / “Break Away To Adelaide” - The Guild of Jazz Musicians