Cascadia's Clarinet Crescendo

We are thrilled to have Gene Ramsbottom as our guest soloist for this concert. Gene received the Tri-Municipality FANS 2015 Distinguished Artist designation for being recognized as Canada's most recorded classical clarinetist. In 1976 he was appointed the founding principal of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra by Maestro Richard Bonynge and performed in that role for 20 seasons until 1996. He was also the principal clarinetist since 1984 with the internationally renowned CBC Radio Orchestra under Mario Bernardi. Prior to 1984, for nine seasons, he was the CBC Orchestra's second and bass clarinetist, invited by John Avison and John Eliot Gardiner. Gene has also been the principal clarinetist and soloist with the Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra in California, USA, and with the Summer Music Festival in Galway, Ireland during various summer festival seasons. He has performed across Canada, England, Ireland, USA, Israel, Europe, and Asia. Of the many concert series he created, the longest running was the noon hour "Out for Lunch" classical series (36 seasons) at the Vancouver Art Gallery which he started in 1986 as a Vancouver Centenary Project. Currently, Gene is the principal Clarinet of the West Coast Symphony.