Jerry Kirkbride


Jerry Kirkbride is an American clarinetist, former member of the Dorian Wind Quintet and Professor emeritus of music at the University of Arizona.

Education

Jerry Kirkbride grew up in Los Angeles where he studied with Kalman Bloch. He graduated from the University of Southern California, where he studied with Mitchell Lurie. After graduation, he was awarded a Fulbright Grant to continue his studies in Rome, Italy, where he worked with such artists as Nadia Boulanger, Efrem Kurtz, and Franco Ferrera.

Performance career

Kirkbride was principal clarinetist with the Metropolitan Opera National Company and was a Creative Associate at the Center of the Creative and Performing Arts at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Kirkbride performed in numerous chamber music concerts and freelanced extensively in New York City for many years. He was principal clarinetist of the Brooklyn Philharmonic for six years. In 1970 he joined the Dorian Wind Quintet and toured the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe extensively as well as India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. He retired from the Dorian Wind Quintet in 2011. Kirkbride was also a member of the Arizona Wind Quintet the faculty group at the University of Arizona. He was principal clarinetist with the Arizona Opera from 1989 to 1998 and performed at the Desert Music Fest in Carefree/Cave Creek, Arizona for nineteen years.
He has recorded for Vox, Columbia, CRI, Deutsche Grammophon, New World, Lapis Island and Summit Records.

Teaching career

Jerry Kirkbride was professor of clarinet at the University of Arizona from 1987 to 2017. He wrote the clarinet section of Teaching Woodwinds, a text for college wind instrumental techniques classes and has several editions and arrangements published by International Music Publishing Company.