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    Afendi Yusuf headshot

    Afendi Yusuf

    Kent/Blossom Music Festival
    Campus:
    Kent
    Contact Information
    Email:
    kbm@kent.edu

    Biography

    Afendi Yusuf joined The Cleveland Orchestra as principal clarinet with the start of the 2017-18 season. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he has appeared as guest principal with a number of North American ensembles, including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto and Cincinnati symphony orchestras. As a guest musician, he has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, under the batons of Gustavo Dudamel, Edo de Waart, Gianandrea Noseda, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Yehuda Gilad.

    A winner of a variety of concerto competitions, Mr. Yusuf has made solo appearances with the Colburn Orchestra, Royal Conservatory Orchestra, and the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has collaborated with performers Charles Neidich, Ronald Leonard, Martin Beaver, and with composers Georg Friedrich Haas, John Adams, and Anders Hillborg. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and School, Brott Music Festival, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program. He has been a participant of the Marlboro Music Festival since the summer of 2016.

    Mr. Yusuf holds a bachelor of arts degree from Ontario's Wilfrid Laurier University, where he was a student of Ross Edwards, and an artist diploma from the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, where he studied with Joaquin Valdepeñas. He also holds a master of music degree and professional studies certificate from the Colburn School’s Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where he was a student of Yehuda Gilad.

    Education

    Wilfrid Laurier University
    Glenn Gould School
    Colburn School Conservatory of Music

    Blog Posts

    Composer Spotlight Series: Rachel Portman
    Celebrating Black History Month: Undine Smith Moore-Musician and Composer
    Jay Dorfman Publishes Second Edition of Book Focused on Technology-based Music Teaching
    Voice Faculty Member Jay White Leads Busy Month of Teaching, Performing and Conducting
    2021 Glauser School Concerto Competition Winners Announced
    Tiago Delgado (M.M. ‘17) Joins Memorial University Faculty
    Pianist Omar Roy (M.M. ‘15) joins the University of South Carolina Faculty
    Pianist Donna Lee Nominated for Award from the Kent State Alumni Association
    Music Education Coordinator Jay Dorfman Publishes Research and Contributes to New Book
    Music Faculty Member Wendy K. Matthews Authors Chapter in New Book
    Kent Blossom Music Festival
    School of Music

    Street Address

    1325 Theatre Drive, Kent, Ohio 44242


    Mailing Address

    800 E. Summit St.
    Kent, OH 44242

    • 330-672-3000
    • info@kent.edu

    Contact Us

    330-672-0397 kbm@kent.edu
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