Larry Combs | |
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| Born | (1939-12-31)December 31, 1939 (age 85) South Charleston, West Virginia[1] |
| Origin | New Orleans Symphony Orchestra |
| Genres | Classical, Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Clarinet |
Larry Combs (born December 31, 1939) is an Americanclarinetist and educator.
Combs was born inSouth Charleston, West Virginia. He received a bachelor of music degree with distinction as well as the Performer's Certificate in 1961 from theEastman School of Music where he studied withStanley Hasty.[2] He later studied withLeon Russianoff in New York from 1962-1965.[3]
Combs playedclarinet with theNew Orleans Symphony Orchestra, theMontreal Symphony Orchestra, and theSanta Fe Opera before joining theChicago Symphony Orchestra in 1974. He was appointed principal clarinet of the CSO by SirGeorg Solti in 1978. He has appeared as a soloist with the orchestra on many occasions. He retired from the CSO following the 2007–2008 season to spend more time teaching clarinet students atDePaul University.[4] He retired from DePaul in 2018.
He is also a founding member of theChicago Chamber Musicians in 1986. He has performed theBrahmsClarinet Trio withDaniel Barenboim and cellistYo-Yo Ma, and has appeared at theRavinia Festival with its music director,Christoph Eschenbach. Other appearances have been withThe Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and theSmithsonian Chamber Players. + He is also a founding member of theChicago Chamber Musicians.Combs is also ajazz aficionado. HisCombs-Novak Sextet is one of the headliners at the 1999Chicago Jazz Festival; he cut an album with jazzclarinetistEddie Daniels, called "Crossing the Line"; and theChicago Reader's Ted Shen wrote that he is "a Benny Goodman-like chameleon who can execute breathtaking arabesques and add a touch of eloquence to the plainest phrase." He was a clinician for theG. Leblanc Company, which made the Opus II clarinets he helped to design, and the Larry Combs models of clarinet mouthpieces.
Combs is married to Gail Williams, ahorn professor at Northwestern University and retired associate principal horn of the Chicago Symphony.[citation needed]
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
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