Clarinetist Phillip O. Paglialonga maintains an active career as a performer and pedagogue. He has appeared as a soloist on four continents and also throughout North America.
His performances have been heard on National Public Radio, the CBC in Canada, as well as several other regional radio stations. In recent years he has appeared as a soloist with the University of Michigan Symphony Band, Virginia Tech Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the First Coast Wind Ensemble in Jacksonville, Florida. Other recent appearances include performances at Baylor University, Bowling Green State University, Colorado State University, Mahidol University (Thailand), Miami University (Ohio), Pontifica Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), Oklahoma City University, Shenandoah Conservatory, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas (Colombia), University of Florida, University of Memphis, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, University of North Texas, University of Northern Colorado, University of Pennsylvania, University of Western Ontario, the International Double Reed Society conferences in Oklahoma and Ohio, Society of Composers conference in South Carolina, College Music Society National Conference in Virginia and California, Bellas Artes Guatapé, ClariBogotá, and the International Clarinet Association Conferences (ClarinetFest) in Belgium, Kansas City, Texas and Spain.
He has been a member of the Haddonfield Symphony, Sarasota Opera Orchestra and the Walt Disney World Orchestra. He has also appeared with numerous other orchestras including the: Charleston Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Concertante di Chicago, Florida Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Kalamazoo Symphony, New World Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, and Windsor. He has participated in numerous summer festivals including the National Repertory Orchestra, the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and Lake George Opera in Saratoga, New York.
As an educator he has been a clinician at Universal Studios in Orlando for their “Partners in Performance” program. He has written articles for Keynotes Magazine, School Band and Orchestra, the journal of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors and The Clarinet, many of which are available on his Web site (www.thefirstgissilent.com) for download. His articles have also been translated into Spanish and are available in South America through Aulamusica. He currently serves as the Editor for the International Clarinet Association’s E-Newsletter, and is a curator of TrevCo Publishing’s PEN Trio Collection, which is helping to expand and improve the repertoire for the traditional Trio d’Anches. Dr. Paglialonga recently completed work on a new book, Squeak Big: Practical Fundamentals for the Successful Clarinetist that is published by Imagine Music Publishing and available worldwide.
He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan where he also earned a Masters of Music and a Bachelor of Music from DePaul University in Chicago. His primary teachers were Larry Combs, Fred Ormand and Daniel Gilbert with additional applied study with Julie DeRoche, Monica Kaenzig, Mitchell Lurie, Virginia Wright and John Bruce Yeh.
Currently he serves on the faculty of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Prior to this appointment he taught for five years at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida where he was awarded the Bethune-Cookman University Excellence in University and Community Service award. He is a founding member of the PEN Trio (www.PENtrio.com), which regularly tours throughout the United States and is represented by Price Rubin & Partners. During the summer months he is on faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan where he frequently performs both with the Festival Orchestra and in various chamber music groups. Dr. Paglialonga is a Gonzalez artist and performs exclusively on Gonzalez GD reeds.
Available Material
Squeak Big: Practical Fundamentals for the Successful Clarinetist