The Music Conservatory of Coeur d’Alene has announced the return of renowned clarinetist James Sullivan to its faculty.
Sullivan professionally played in Los Angeles for 25 years, working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera and many prestigious chamber music series and ensembles. He will be heading the conservatory’s chamber music department, in addition to offering private, individualized clarinet instruction and musicianship development.
Beginning in May, the conservatory will showcase the talents of its faculty and the region’s finest classical musicians in a professional chamber music series in Coeur d’Alene.
“We are excited that James has come back to launch a chamber music series connecting exceptional artists from across the country and internationally,” Cynthia Newkirk, executive director, said in a Feb. 4 news release. “Our home, the historic Hamilton House, is an excellent venue in which to enjoy the intimate ambiance of chamber music performances.”
Tickets for the inaugural concert in May will soon be on sale at cdaconservatory.org/events.
Sullivan began the clarinet at age 10, heard Mozart soon after and became a lifer. For 41 years, he has lived with the mystery of air becoming sound, feeling becoming music. He has performed extensively as a chamber musician, working with such series as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella, Jacaranda, Tuesdays at Monk Space, Hear Now Festival, Pasadena Conservatory Music and Mansions, Boston Court, Microfest and Territory Festival in Moscow, Russia.
A deep study of just intonation led to performing and recording with Partch Ensemble, Ben Johnston and Andrew McIntosh. Sullivan played with Kan Zaman, a classical Arabic ensemble, for 10 years and learned the maqam system, folkloric repertoire and improvisational styles.
As an orchestral musician, Sullivan has performed with Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Santa Barbara Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Seattle Symphony and Phoenix Symphony, working with conductors such as Esa-Pekka Solonen, Gustavo Dudamel and Dirk Brosse. He studied at Interlochen Arts Academy, Cleveland Institute of Music, Florida State University and California Institute of the Arts.
Influences on his musical development have been obsessively listening to music, reading, exploring ideas in aesthetics and philosophy, ballet and two-stepping, visual art and many hours of conversation with treasured friends. Developing sitzfleisch helped things along, too. Silent practice on the clarinet at 3 a.m. during bouts of insomnia provided improvements as well.
Sullivan maintains a career as a visual artist as well, working in charcoal, pastels and oil paint. He likes to keep the energy flowing by running on trails in the woods with his dog and exploring composition and harmony through gardening. He teaches at the Music Conservatory of Coeur d’Alene and searches with each student in discovering how to bring their own unique voice to our musical traditions.