John De La Paz

"This is the way the clarinet was meant to be played! It is very much in the style of the German/Viennese clarinet school of playing. Its' beautiful, sweet and very rich sound is unparalleled. The evenness and intonation throughout the registers is fantastic. There is no "fighting" or "compensating" needed to play for these instruments. ~ John De La Paz

Bio

Clarinetist John De La Paz has performed, taught and studied throughout the United States, Mexico, and Europe. As a performer, Mr. De La Paz has been in demand as both collaborative musician and soloist. He has performed as a soloist and ensemble member at International Clarinet Association conferences and the University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposia. Most recently, Mr. De La Paz held the position of Concert Master for the internationally acclaimed University of Nevada Las Vegas Wind Orchestra. Along with recordings on the Klavier and Naxos music labels, Mr. De La Paz has also performed in world premieres of several works by internationally recognized composers.

Additional ensemble performances include Nextet (a "new music" ensemble at UNLV), the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, and the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra and the Las Vegas Music Festival. Mr. De La Paz's orchestral training includes studies with Mr. Gregory Smith (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) Dr. Marina Sturm (American Symphony Orchestra) József Balogh (Budapest Radio Symphony) and Dr. David Ross (El Paso Symphony Orchestra)

Mr. De La Paz has held faculty positions as instructors of clarinet, music history and music theory at several colleges and universities including The University of Nevada Las Vegas, The College of Southern Nevada, New Mexico State University, Doña Ana Community College and the El Paso Conservatory of Music.

Mr. De La Paz holds the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Oklahoma and the Master of Music degree from New Mexico State University. Additionally, Mr. De La Paz has undergone Orchestral Repertoire Studies at the Chicago College for the Performing Arts and doctoral work at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

As a scholar, Mr. De La Paz has created ancillary materials for the books: Music 101, A Guide to Active Listening for a Generation Online and Jazz Basics, A Brief Overview With Historical Documents and Listening Guides by James Shearer, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.