At age 24,
Gregory Smith was appointed clarinetist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by
Sir Georg Solti. Previously, he was associate principal and E-flat clarinetist
of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and principal clarinetist of the
Sacramento Symphony Orchestra. Smith was also principal clarinetist of the
Scotia Festival Symphony Orchestra, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he
played under Music Director Pierre Boulez; and principal clarinetist of the
Ravinia Festival Orchestra in Chicago.
Nominated
for a Grammy Award for best chamber music performance with the Chicago Symphony
Winds, he is also the founding member of the Chamber Soloists of Chicago, heard
locally as well as live on worldwide broadcasts from WFMT radio, Chicago.
A
participant in the Scotia Festival Music in Halifax, Nova Scotia, heard
collaborating with members of the Lincoln Center Chamber Players, he also has
been a featured guest artist on the Bay Chamber Concerts in Maine with members
of the Vermeer Quartet. Smith has toured the United States under the auspices
of Columbia Artist Management with the Chicago Symphony Chamber Players and has
collaborated with such artists as Yefim Bronfman. He has regularly been a guest
chamber musician and teacher at the Las Vegas Music Festival and at the Affinis
Music Festival, in Tokyo. He can be heard internationally as a featured soloist
and chamber musician on the CBC Radio, Canada.
He has
performed as well as lectured at the International Clarinet Association’s
yearly ClarinetFest conferences held worldwide. He also played a two-month solo
recital tour of six cities in Australia to critical acclaim and was artist in
residence at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia. He has
also played recitals and given master classes in numerous cities in Asia,
Europe and North America.
Smith’s
principal teacher has been Robert Marcellus. He has been visiting professor of
clarinet at Northwestern University and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and he
is presently clarinet professor at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of
the Performing Arts.
A native
Californian, he met his wife, Carol Lee, also a clarinetist, while they were
both attending Northwestern University. Both were members of the Sacramento
Symphony Orchestra. They have also performed together in the San Francisco and
Chicago symphony orchestras on subscription concerts as well as on recordings
as well as national and international tours.
Smith and
Carol Lee enjoy travel, hiking and collecting old recordings. Smith has created
his own handmade clarinet mouthpieces in the style of the famous vintage
classics of the 20th century that are in great demand by many fine clarinetists
worldwide.
September
2012
