Three 20th Century Juilliard Clarinet Masters

During the 1970s, the clarinet faculty of The Juilliard School in New York City was comprised of three of the most distinguished and knowledgeable teachers in the world. How fortunate were all of us in the clarinet class of the time to study with clarinet titans Joseph Allard, Stanley Drucker, and Leon Russianoff? Three great teachers, each with their own personal approach and style.

Joe Allard

Joseph (“Joe”) Allard (1910-1991) studied clarinet with Gaston Hamelin, the first clarinetist of the Boston Symphony. Allard had a very distinguished playing career, highlighted by being the bass clarinetist of Arturo Toscanini's NBC Symphony from 1949-1954. Allard was a member of the Juilliard faculty from 1956-1984.

Allard was a gentle and soft-spoken man who believed in the importance of understanding and mastering the harmonic series of the clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxophone. He gave his students specific exercises to practice to develop an understanding and working knowledge of the overtone series, which would allow for proper voicing and greater consistency of tone. Allard was a calm and supportive teacher who provided invaluable pedagogy, which was always explained in a logical manner. He was equally comfortable teaching the clarinet, bass clarinet, or saxophone, and his legacy lives on today through his many disciples on all three instruments.

For more information on Joe Allard, his approach to overtones and pedagogy, you can visit: http://www.joeallard.org

Stanley Drucker

Legendary clarinetist Stanley Drucker (b. 1929) was a member of the New York Philharmonic for over sixty years, serving as principal clarinet from 1960-2009. His recordings of the clarinet concertos by Carl Nielsen and John Corigliano are monuments in the music world and set a new standard for artistic performance and execution on the clarinet.

Drucker's teaching philosophy was multi-faceted, but one concept in particular was emphasized in every lesson. This was the defining of a player's optimal sound quality, and striving to utilize that sound in every passage played. He would have a student play a slurred slow passage in a comfortable range and have them strive to produce their most beautiful and resonant tone. Then, he would encourage (insist!) that the student produce this sound in everything they played, whether the music was:
- fast or slow

- high or low

- slurred or articulated

- loud or soft

Certainly not easy to do, but learning this concept was transformative for me.

Leon Russianoff

The renowned pedagogue, Leon Russianoff (1916-1990) studied with Simeon Bellison and Daniel Bonade. He served on the faculty of both the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School for many years. His teaching in the mid to latter part of the twentieth century produced a virtual who's who of clarinetists.

Russianoff was a brilliant and enthusiastic teacher. His instruction was steeped in fundamentals, combined with many of his own hand-written tonal and technical exercises. Lessons could be characterized by a high energy, demanding, and supportive approach. His amazing ability to connect with the inner musician in each student produced multiple generations of top professional clarinetists. He worked to cultivate the individual strengths and personality of each student. Russianoff was a master psychologist who emphasized the fundamentals while developing the unique artistic voice of each student.

One of his signature exercises is what he called the "fulcrum study." This study particularly helps to strengthen embouchure flexibility and stability. I have adapted this study for my own students and can be found here:

As if this wasn't already an abundance of clarinet riches, before I graduated, Juilliard added a fourth luminary clarinet teacher, David Weber (1913-2006). I never had an opportunity to learn from Weber, who was a leading American exponent of the French school of clarinet playing and noted for his beautiful tone. From all accounts, Weber was a marvelous and devoted teacher who produced a significant number of top clarinetists.

About Mitchell Estrin

Mitchell Estrin is Professor of Music Emeritus at the University of Florida where he was founder and music director of the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble and a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor. He served as the Artistic Director of the Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festival and was founder of the Buffet Crampon USA Summer Clarinet Academy. Prof. Estrin was the 20th President of the International Clarinet Association (ICA). He is the author of the biography Stanley Drucker, Clarinet Master published by Carl Fischer and Writing the Vandoren WAVE published by CAMco. His critical edition of the Weber Concertino for Clarinet, Op. 26 is published by Jeanné.

Prof. Estrin is a 2023 recipient of Honorary Membership in the International Clarinet Association. This accolade, marking the highest honor in the clarinet world, is said to acknowledge individuals with a distinguished background in the areas of professional service, teaching, performance, and lifetime achievements.

Mitchell Estrin studied clarinet with Stanley Drucker at The Juilliard School where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. His other influential teachers include Jerome Stowell, Walter Wollwage, Leon Russianoff, Larry Combs, Robert Bloom, and John Moses.

Prior to his academic appointments, he had a 25-year association with the New York Philharmonic. He performed in hundreds of concerts and on 19 international tours with the Philharmonic as principal, second, and E-flat clarinetist under music directors Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein, and many distinguished guest conductors including Erich Leinsdorf, Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Klaus Tennstedt, Andre Previn, Sir Colin Davis, and Leonard Slatkin. He performed on dozens of recordings with the Philharmonic and on numerous occasions performed with the orchestra on the PBS award winning series, Live From Lincoln Center.

As an international concert artist, Mitchell Estrin has performed in over 40 countries on 5 continents. He performed and recorded the world premiere of The Shadows of October for clarinet and orchestra by Michael Whalen with the Janacek Philharmonic.
“This beautiful and lushly scored tonal piece…. is performed by clarinetist Mitchell Estrin…. He plays beautifully with a lovely colored tone.”
The Clarinet

As a chamber musician, he has performed with such notable ensembles as The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New Arts Trio, American Chamber Winds, at the Newport Music Festival, and was a founding member of the Amadeus Ensemble.

Prof. Estrin has an extensive discography of solo and chamber music and recorded hundreds of television commercials and Hollywood motion-picture soundtracks. He has performed and recorded with many leading popular artists including Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Peter, Paul and Mary, Ray Charles, The Fugees, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Smashing Pumpkins, and Natalie Merchant. His motion picture soundtrack credits include recordings for Columbia, Walt Disney, Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox, United Artists, and Warner Brothers on feature films including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Alamo, Intolerable Cruelty, The Score, You’ve Got Mail, Primary Colors, Fargo, Batman Forever, Interview with the Vampire, Home Alone 2, Pocahontas, Doc Hollywood, Regarding Henry, The Untouchables, Reds, and Dressed to Kill. His television credits include recordings for ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, HBO, TBS, and ESPN. Prof. Estrin was principal clarinetist for the NBC 75th Anniversary Special; broadcast from the famed NBC Studio 8H in New York City. He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Phil Donahue Show, the television series Nurse, and in Kramer vs. Kramer, the 1980 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture. His clarinet playing has also been heard on hundreds of television and radio commercials. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences recognized him as a Most Valuable Player nominee for his outstanding performances in the recording studio.

Prof. Estrin has presented recitals, masterclasses, workshops, and seminars at many prestigious educational conferences and institutions. This list includes the Eastman School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Arizona State University, Florida State University, University of Maryland, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Illinois, University of Texas, Texas State University, Texas A&M University, Midwest Clinic, New York State School Music Association, Connecticut School Music Association, and Florida Music Educators Association. In 2019, he was a guest clinician in Australia at the University of Melbourne. He has performed in recital with clarinetists Stanley Drucker, Karl Leister, and Mark Nuccio.

Widely acclaimed as a conductor and proponent of the clarinet choir, Prof. Estrin has served as director of the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest® College, Festival, and Professors Clarinet Choirs, Texas State Clarinet Fiesta Clarinet Choir, Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium Clarinet Choir, Texas Clarinet Colloquium Clarinet Choir, and United States Navy Clarinet Choir. He held a Guinness World Record for conducting the world’s largest clarinet choir (367 members) in 2019. He has conducted the University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble throughout the United States and Europe, including three feature recitals at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest®. The ensemble has produced four critically acclaimed CD’s for Mark Masters, Christmas Clarinets (2016), Clarinet Choir Classics (2012), Clarinet Thunder (2009), and Wind in the Reeds (2006). Each of these recordings was selected for the Grammy Nomination eligibility list. Prof. Estrin has authored multiple articles on the history, development, repertoire, and logistics of the clarinet choir.

As a music producer and annotator, he has worked on projects with such renowned artists as trombonist Joseph Alessi, jazz pianist Lynne Arriale, and saxophonist Mike Smith. He has produced five clarinet choir CDs for Mark Recording.

Prof. Estrin’s students have performed with such prestigious ensembles as the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, New York Pops, United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, United States Army Field Band, and West Point Band. His students hold educational positions at several major universities including Indiana University, University of Arizona, University of Florida, and University of South Alabama.

Mitchell Estrin is a Buffet Crampon Legacy Artist and performs exclusively on the Buffet R13 clarinet. As a Vandoren Performing Artist, he endorses and performs exclusively on Vandoren reeds (V.12) and mouthpieces (BD2). Prof. Estrin’s educational articles are published regularly in the Vandoren WAVE and his biography is listed in Who’s Who in Classical Music, Who’s Who in American Music, and Who’s Who in International Music.