Bharat Chandra is a clarinetist whose earnest passion for music and live interaction with audiences has taken him across the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. He is Principal Clarinet of the Sarasota Orchestra and the Nordic Symphony in Tallinn.
After undergraduate work at Southern Methodist University, studying clarinet performance and studying ethics, Bharat attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. There he became the first student of world renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and won the Conservatory’s highest individual honor, the Gunther Schuller Medal.
From Boston, Bharat traveled to Miami to join the New World Symphony, where he was featured in orchestral and chamber music tours across the United States and Europe. A critically acclaimed recording of the chamber music of Dan Welcher concluded this highly successful fellowship, along with a specially requested encore performance of Aaron Copland’s Concerto for Clarinet with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting.
Outside of Sarasota, recent seasons have included Bharat serving as Guest Principal Clarinet of the Sydney Opera House (Opera Australia), the Oregon Symphony in Portland, Naples Philharmonic, and Music In The Mountains in Durango. He gave chamber music debuts at Lincoln Center, the Ravinia Festival, and the International Beethoven Festival with the Lincoln Trio. Solo appearances have included the Ringling International Arts Festival (with ensemblenewSRQ) and the Brevard Symphony Orchestra.
Highlights of the coming year include performances of the Copland Concerto and Strauss Duo Concertino, chamber music with Andrew Armstrong, Amy Schwartz Moretti, and Raphael Bell in South Carolina, and guest appearances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
The Cabrillo Festival remains Bharat’s favorite musical experience, and he’s married to that gorgeous Assistant Principal Second violin, Anne Chandra. They have two daughters together and a very pushy dog.
