Aileen Razey
Clarinetist, Educator

It was a used clarinet from a family friend that sparked the magic of music in me.

This instrument gave voice to my innermost thoughts and helped me find my place in this world. Nearly 20 years later and my clarinet continues to be my compass in life, connecting me to people in new communities, and helping me express ideas that can only be understood through music.

Clarinetist and Pedagogue Aileen Razey is dedicated to bridging diverse musical genres and artistic expressions through performing and teaching. Her artistry is deeply intertwined with her commitment to education, inviting audiences and students to engage more meaningfully with themselves and the world through music.

Currently Assistant Professor of Clarinet at St. Olaf College, she is also a D'Addario Woodwind Clinician, a Henri Seller Paris Artist, and serves as Chapter President of the College Music Society Northeast.

About

Upcoming Performances

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Orchestral Performing

The collaborative energy of many musicians joining together for the purpose of enriching the lives of their audience drives Aileen's playing. Her orchestral playing connects her with a wide variety of musicians and audiences around the world. She performs often with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and previously performed with Aspen Music Festival and School, Lucerne Festival Academy, Klangspuren Schwaz International Ensemble Modern Academy in Schwaz, Austria, Syracuse Orchestra (NY), Allentown Symphony (PA), Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (NY), Szavaria Symphony Orchestra (Hungary), Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes (NY), Allen Philharmonic, Abilene Philharmonic, Lone Star Wind Orchestra, and Dallas Winds. Razey can be heard as principal and e-flat clarinetist on five GIA records with the North Texas Wind Symphony.

Upcoming
Performances

Contemporary Music

Razey is a fierce advocate of performing works living composers, and her dedication to bringing life to music of today has led collaborations with emerging national and international composers. She has commissioned works by composers Kornel Thomas, Jenni Brandon, Manuel Figueroa, and Murrough Connolly, and she has been part of consortiums for composers Jenni Brandon, Paul Schoenfeld, and Theresa Martin.

With her ensemble, The International Collective, she explores interdisciplinary performance experiences, merging clarinet and dance, in collaboration with double bass and dancer.

Razey was a clarinetist with the Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland and for the Klangspuren Schwaz International Ensemble Modern Academy in Schwaz, Austria, and for the Institute and Festival of Contemporary Performance at Mannes in New York.

Recent Projects

The International Collective

Passing on a musical education is the only future for music.

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Dr. Razey's performing has a direct influence on her approach to pedagogy, and vice-versa. There is no greater joy to her than helping musicians realize their personal and professional goals, taking action steps to reach those goals, attaining those goals, and accelerating past to new ones. She is Assistant Professor, Clarinet, at St. Olaf College, where she teaches applied clarinet lessons, coaches chamber ensembles, and teaches Professional Practices.

She previously served as Assistant Professor at Kutztown University and Lecturer of Clarinet at Ithaca College. Her previous clarinet students are now music educators, performing professionally, and attending graduate schools. Bringing together her passion for the performance world and academia, Razey serves as President for the College Music Society Northeast Chapter.

"My own teachers are my biggest inspiration."

Razey holds dearly onto the legacy of clarinet playing passed on to her from her own clarinet teachers, all of whom have influenced her performance and pedagogy tremendously. She earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance from the University of North Texas with a related field in music education, where she studied with Kimberly Cole Luevano and served as Teaching Fellow in Clarinet. She earned a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance from University of Denver, where she studied with Jeremy Reynolds and served as Graduate Teaching Assistant in Clarinet and Musicology. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College, where she studied with Michael Galvan. Razey also studied with Michael Rusinek, Gabor Varga, and Pavel Vinnitsky.

To sustain a life as musician and educator, Aileen firmly believes in prioritizing physical and mental health along with dedication to her craft. She practices yoga, runs, dances, hikes and finds other ways to get up and move. Aileen resides in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, where they tend to a their houseplants, explore local eateries, bike at the lakes, and travel often.