D’Addario Woodwinds Brings Entire Houston Symphony Clarinet Section to Artist Roster

D’Addario Woodwinds added the entire Houston Symphony clarinet section to their artist roster.

Mark Nuccio (Principal Clarinet) and Sasha Potiomkin (Bass Clarinet) have been endorsed with D’Addario for over seven years, while Thomas LeGrand (Associate Principal and E-flat Clarinet) and Christian Schubert (Second Clarinet) are new artist endorsees. All four musicians use D’Addario Reserve Classic reeds.

“The Houston Symphony is truly a top-level orchestra with an international reputation, and having their entire clarinet section choose D’Addario over all the other options on the market is an honor for us,” Thomas Kmiecik says, Artist Relations Specialist for D’Addario Woodwinds.

Mark Nuccio, a D’Addario Woodwinds player since 2009, is a critics-praised clarinetist for both solo and chamber appearances who was appointed principal clarinet of the Houston symphony in the 2015-16 season. Before then, Nuccio joined the New York Philharmonic in 1999 as associate principal and solo E- flat clarinetist, having previously held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida. As a studio musician, Nuccio is featured on several movie soundtracks and numerous television commercials.

“The Reserve mouthpiece has raised the bar,” Nuccio says. “D’Addario has succeeded in designing a mouthpiece that sounds like the great vintage mouthpieces of old, has superb intonation and articulation, and gives the player huge satisfaction – at only a small fraction of the cost!”

Tom LeGrand is an associate professor of clarinet at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where his primary focus is conducting the orchestral repertoire class. He also serves on the clarinet faculty of the Texas Music Festival as well as the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, the premiere training orchestra for Colombian musicians. Before coming to Houston, LeGrand was a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as bass clarinetist and a member of the clarinet faculty at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. LeGrand is also an active chamber performer who has appeared locally with Da Camera of Houston, Texas Music Festival, The Greenbriar Consortium, and during the summer, he can be heard at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming.

“The D’Addario Reserve Classic is the best clarinet reed that I have used in my performing career,” LeGrand states. “I enjoy the warm and vibrant tone, clarity of articulation, and superior consistency of quality. These reeds are remarkably stable and durable, even in the demanding environment of symphonic playing. I have been very impressed with the work that D’Addario has done in developing these reeds and am thrilled with the results.”

Christian Schubert, a Los Angeles native, has been the second clarinetist of the Houston Symphony since 1996. Prior to arriving in Houston, Schubert played with numerous Chicago-area ensembles including the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, and The Chicago Ensemble. He is also currently the second clarinetist and E-flat clarinetist with the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. As a teacher, he has served on the music faculties of North Park College in Chicago and the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, and he now maintains a private teaching studio in Pearland, TX. Schubert also owns and operates a recording engineering company, Schubert Recording Services, specializing in the quality digital recording of classical music.

“The D’Addario Reserve Classic clarinet reed is the best reed I’ve found over the years because it allows me to most easily attain my own personal sound concept with such ease and quickness of response,” Schubert expresses.

Sasha Potiomkin, a D’Addario Woodwinds artist since 2007, has appeared as a soloist with the Israel Camerata Orchestra, Tel Aviv Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Houston Chamber Orchestra. He has given recitals in Ukraine, Israel and the United States, and was invited to play as a substitute principal clarinetist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, and Alabama Symphony, as well as a regular substitute clarinetist with the Israel Philharmonic and Houston Symphony. Additionally, he has participated in the Tanglewood, Bellingham, Blossom, and Mozaic Festivals.

“I’ve been very successful using D’Addario reeds for all of my clarinets, from bass clarinet to E-flat to Basset horn,” says Potiomkin. “They provide the sound and response that I need.”

“I am excited that all four clarinetists know that they can rely on our equipment for their demands in the

orchestra and as active working musicians,” Kmiecik adds. “And I know that all of us at D’Addario are thrilled to have them as part of our artist family.”

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