Bharat Chandra is a clarinetist whose earnest passion for music and live interaction with audiences has taken him across the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Bharat currently serves as Principal Clarinet of both the Sarasota Orchestra in Florida and of the Nordic Symphony Orchestra in Tallinn, Estonia, led by Anu Tali. During the summer, he serves as Principal Clarinet of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, led by Cristian Măcelaru.

After undergraduate work at Southern Methodist University, studying orchestral performance with Stephen Girko and ethics with Alastair Norcross, Bharat attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. There he became the first student of world renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and won the Conservatory’s highest individual honor, the Gunther Schuller Medal.

From Boston, Bharat traveled to Miami to join the New World Symphony, where he was featured in orchestral and chamber music tours across the United States, Monte Carlo, and Vienna. A critically acclaimed recording on CRI Records of the chamber music of Dan Welcher concluded a highly successful fellowship in Miami, along with a specially requested encore performance of Aaron Copland’s Concerto for Clarinet with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting.

At Cabrillo, Bharat gave the United States premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s clarinet concerto, Riffs and Refrains, to unanimous critical acclaim with Marin Alsop and the Festival Orchestra. Bharat has also maintained a small teaching studio in Sarasota and has given masterclasses at Michigan State University and the University of Southern Florida, among others.

Together with his wife, violinist Anne Chandra, Bharat founded KAETA (Kids And Elders Through Arts) in 2010 to help further the critical mission of intergenerational dialogue within the greater Sarasota area. An all-volunteer 501(c)3 corporation, KAETA works with students and seniors while also supporting the efforts of other related organizations in the community. KAETA was a recent recipient of the State of Florida’s Intergenerational Volunteer Award, presented by the State of Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs.

Sarasota, Florida, USA

https://www.bharatchandra.com/

bharatchandra@msn.com