Employed Since

2007

Educational History

B.M., The Juilliard School; M.M., Yale University

Professional Highlights

Grammy-nominated clarinetist Garrick Zoeter’s passionate and exciting way with the clarinet has been acknowledged around the world. The Clarinet recently described his playing as “remarkable, his tone is beautiful, and he shows complete mastery of all the technical demands and effects that are required of this piece. His artistry and virtuosity are compelling. This is one of the finest clarinet performances I have reviewed.” The Washington Post recently described a recent performance of his as “an utterly commanding performance, technically superb and radiant with otherworldly majesty all played with exceptional insight.”

A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Mr. Zoeter’s first serious clarinet studies were with Kenneth Lee and National Symphony Orchestra clarinetist William Wright. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School as a student of Charles Neidich and his master’s degree from Yale University as a student of David Shifrin. He made his solo debut at the age of seventeen in Weber’s Concerto No. 1 with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has won numerous competitions as a soloist, including the 1991 International Clarinet Society International Clarinet Competition, as well as prizes in chamber music, including the Grand Prize in the 1998 Fischoff, Coleman and Yellow Springs chamber music competitions; the silver medal in the 1997 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition; and first prize in the 2002 Concert Artists Guild competition.

Mr. Zoeter is the founding member of the acclaimed multi-award-winning clarinet, violin, cello and piano quartet Antares. From 1997 to 2013 with Antares, he annually gave performances around the United States at prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, Aspen Music Festival, Strathmore, Ensemble Music Society of Indianapolis, Carnegie Recital Hall, Market Square Concerts, The Library of Congress, The Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art and Cincinnati Chamber Music Society. His work with Antares resulted in the commissioning and premiering of over 20 new quartets from several of North America’s top young composers, including Mason Bates, John Mackey, James Matheson, Kevin Puts, Dan Visconti and Carter Pann. Zoeter is also a frequent performer with diverse groups such as Trio Solisti, the Audubon String Quartet, the Ensemble for the Romantic Century, the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, the University of Buffalo’s Slee Sinfonietta, the Pressenda Chamber Players, the Monadnock Music Festival and the New Orchestra of Washington. Recent performances have included Donald Martino’s Triple Concerto in Buffalo, New York, chamber music appearances in Strasbourg, France, and Medellin, Colombia, and an appearance at The Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio, Texas. He is heard frequently in numerous chamber music performances around Washington, D.C., including Georgetown’s Evermay Estate, and serves as principal clarinet of the D.C.-based Post Classical Ensemble, whose recent performance “Mahler – A Wicked New Look” was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the top ten classical music performances of 2022. Past 2022 and 2023 United States premiere performances by Mr. Zoeter include Matt Boehler’s chamber opera “Fat Pig,” Finnish composer Cecilia Damstrom’s “Helene – Nuances from the Life of Helene Schjerfbeck” and Jonathan Newman’s song cycle “Bespoke Songs,” the CD of which was nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award in the category of Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. An additional commissioned work by Mr. Newman, “Knowledge Workers for Two Clarinets,” was premiered at the 2023 Clarinetfest in Denver, Colorado, by Mr. Zoeter and Jacob Moyer, clarinetist with the United States Marine Band.

Professor Zoeter’s students from Shenandoah include numerous competition winners and can be found performing in professional ensembles such as the President’s Own Marine Band, teaching in universities and public schools, and serving as music therapists and recording engineers throughout the country and abroad. He formally served on the clarinet and chamber music faculty of Wesleyan University (2002–2007) and, from 1997 to 2004, was the clarinet professor at the Festival Eleazar de Carvalho during the summer in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. Mr. Zoeter has recorded for the CRI, Newport Classics, Bridge, Innova, Sono Luminous, Naxos, Swarm, MSR Classics and New Focus Recordings CD labels. Mr. Zoeter serves on the advisory council of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters and teaches during the summer at the Chamber Music Conference and Composers Forum of the East, a chamber music festival for adult amateur musicians at Colgate University.

Fields of Expertise

Chamber Music

Recommended Link(s)

SUclarinets
Official Youtube site of the SU Clarinet Studio! Come visit us!

Quote

The Shenandoah Conservatory clarinet studio exemplifies the foundations of Professor Zoeter’s musical beliefs: passion, energy, dedication, and the will to be always striving to communicate one’s deepest emotions through the voice of the clarinet