American clarinetist, Chester Brezniak, received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bard College and his Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.  He studied with Gino Cioffi, BSO Principal Clarinet; Charles Russo, Principal Clarinet, New York City Opera and master classes with Robert Marcellus and Stanley Drucker.

Brezniak debuted with the Vermeer String Quartet to critical acclaim in 1972.  Since then a sampling of his live performances includes the Fromm Foundation Series for Contemporary Music, Harvard University; US West Coast tour with soprano Benita Valente of Earl Kim's Exercises En Route; Frick Fine Arts Series, University of Pittsburgh; Duo Recital with pianist, Richard Goode; Entree des Artistes Summer Series, Orliac, France; guest artist with the Raphael Trio Chamber Series, Ouray, CO; guest appearances with Alea 111, Boston, MA.

In 1977, Mr. Brezniak joined Robert Stallman, flutist, as a founding member of the Cambridge Chamber Players/ Marblehead Summer Music Festival in Massachusetts (CCP), where for twenty years a unique series of chamber music concerts, broadcast regularly on WGBH and PBS, was presented.  The CCP’s 1986 Merkin Concert Hall’s concert was critically acclaimed in the New York Times.

 
As a sought-after clarinetist, Mr. Brezniak's orchestral experience includes the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Sao Paulo Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, Czech Radio Symphony, Hanover Chamber Orchestra, Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; and most recently the Boston Orchestra for the Andrea Bocelli concert at TD Garden in Boston, the 2019 Weird Al Yankovic New England Summer Tour. Recordings include Zemlinsky’s Op. 3 Trio in D Minor (Northeastern Records) and “Clarinet Now” (Centaur Records).  From an Alea 111 performance of Gunther Schuller’s Sonata for clarinet/bass clarinet, Brezniak and bass clarinetist Katherine Matasy can also be heard in the documentary film, “The Past is in the Present—At home with Gunther Schuller”

He is presently the clarinet instructor in the music departments of, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Massachusetts/ Boston.

This is Chester Brezniak’s sixth performance on our concert series.