Kirkpatrick, Chistopher
Dr. Christopher Kirkpatrick is the newly appointed adjunct assistant professor of clarinet at the University of Montana. From 2006-2009 he was the clarinet instructor at Albion College (MI). As a teaching assistant, he has taught at the University of New Mexico and the Brevard Music Festival. He has given master classes at several universities, and has maintained a private studio with students being accepted into many prestigious music programs across the country.
As an orchestral musician he has held the position of principal clarinet of the Jackson Symphony and has also been a member of the Lansing, Battle Creek, Plymouth, and Midland Symphony Orchestras. Additionally, he has performed with the Detroit Symphony, Missoula Symphony, West Shore Symphony, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and the Santa Fe Symphony.
In March 2010 he was the featured soloist in Evan Ziporyn’s Drill at the CBDNA Western/Northwestern Divisional Conference with the University of Montana Symphonic Wind Ensemble. He has also been featured as bass clarinet soloist with the Michigan State University Wind Symphony. In October 2004 he was a participant in the World Bass Clarinet Congress held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was a featured performer at Michigan State University’s Clarinet Spectacular in 2007. Christopher has performed at the International Clarinet Association Conventions in Atlanta, Georgia, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Dr. Kirkpatrick is also an invited guest soloist for the 2011 International Clarinet Festival in Los Angeles, California. An avid chamber musician, he has especially taken interest in the performing and commissioning of new music. With his reed trio, Red Tricycle, he commissioned and performed four new works for the genre in 2008 at Michigan State University. He has also been very active as a clarinetist in new music ensembles across the country.
He has recorded on the Summit label with the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony, on the Blue Griffin label with the Michigan State University Orchestra, and on a soon to be released recording of William Walton’s Facade: An Entertainment with the Albion Chamber Players. He can also be heard as principal clarinet with the Plymouth Symphony on a recently released recording of children’s music.
Dr. Kirkpatrick recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University. He also holds degrees from the University of New Mexico (MM) and the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (BM). His teachers have included Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, Steve Cohen, Keith Lemmons, Michael Stordahl, Ted Gurch, Nikolasa Tejero, and Peter Temko. On bass clarinet he has taken lessons with Marie Picard, Lawrie Bloom, and Linda Baker. Dr. Kirkpatrick has also performed in master classes presented by Ricardo Morales, Thomas Martin, Larry Combs, Karl Leister, Philipe Cuper and Frank Cohen.