Clarinetist Dr. Anthony Aguayo has "the musical and personal ideas to really be one of the next great voices on the clarinet scene," according to Stephanie Zelnick, associate professor of clarinet at the University of Kansas. Anthony holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Oregon where he served as Graduate Instructor of Clarinet from 2018-2022. He also holds Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from Colorado State University and Eastern New Mexico University, respectively. Dr. Aguayo’s primary teachers include Drs. Wonkak Kim, Wesley Ferreira, and Jennifer Laubenthal. 

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 Dr. Aguayo is an active performer, pedagogue, and scholar. Anthony has been invited to perform at numerous ClarinetFest®️ Conferences hosted by the International Clarinet Association. He has given over 20 premieres of new works throughout his career including “Time and Space” for two clarinets by GyungEun Lee which he performed with Wonkak Kim. Anthony strives to program works by living composers from underrepresented communities; he has a particular affinity for music by Latin American composers. 

 Alongside saxophonist, Jessica Dodge-Overstreet, Dr. Aguayo co-founded Chyornii & Dorado. As an active duo, they recently completed a tour of Northern Nevada and California; this tour culminated in a performance at ClarinetFest®️2022. The duo has performed recitals at the University of Oregon and is highly sought after for local performances in the Eugene area. The duo has also  been invited as Guest Artists at Portland State University and Oregon State University. The Chyornni & Dorado Educational Outreach Program has visited middle and high schools as well as retirement communities throughout the Eugene community with the goal of enriching our community through music. Anthony and Jessica have a vision to expand the repertoire for this ensemble and together they have commissioned many new works that can be heard on their debut album, Black and Gold. The album was released in November of 2019. 

 

Prior to moving to Eugene, OR, Anthony wserved as  bass clarinetist for the Roswell Symphony Orchestra (Roswell, NM) for their 2014-2016 seasons and the Southwest Symphony (Hobbs, NM)  for their 2014 season. He also served as the clarinetist/bass clarinetist for the Composers of Oregon Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Brian McWhorter; Dr. Aguayo premiered nine new works with the ensemble in May of 2019. He also performed as a clarinetist with the Pacific Artists Collective, a Eugene based chamber orchestra. At the University of Oregon, Anthony was principal clarinetist of the University Symphony Orchestra for the 2018-19 academic year. While in Fort Collins, CO, he was the Eb clarinetist of the Colorado State University Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra, under the batons of Dr. Rebecca Phillips and Maestro Wes Kenney, respectively. He was also a member of the CSU Graduate Clarinet Quartet, which performed regularly at the university and throughout the Northern Colorado community. The ensemble premiered many new works for clarinet quartet. He has also been a member of ensembles that have premiered works by John Mackey, Franklin Piland, Mark Dal Porto, James David, and Julie Giroux. He can be heard as an ensemble clarinetist on two albums: (Redacted) (2013) and Of Blood and Stone (2015), both of which can be found in the Naxos Music Library.

 

At the University of Oregon, Anthony served as the Graduate Instructor of Clarinet. He taught applied lessons to a large portion of the clarinet studio with students majoring in clarinet performance, music education, general music, and non-music majors. He also taught the clarinet techniques course for music education students and coaches various undergraduate chamber music ensembles. Teaching the next generation of musicians is one of his greatest passions and he strives to inspire, support, and encourage all who study under him. Many of his former students have achieved high placements in the New Mexico and Colorado All State Orchestras and Bands as well as regional honor bands. Additionally, many of his students have been accepted to prestigious music schools for undergraduate study, such as the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.

 

As a scholar, Dr. Aguayo studies the works of Latin American composers with the goal of creating a culturally-informed performance practice. Understanding the traditional and indigenous roots of musical styles is essential to performing modern classical works from a non-western perspective. Dr. Aguayo’s work “The Life and Clarinet Works of Eduardo Gamboa: The Presence of Traditional Mexican and Cuban Idioms in Concierto para Clarinete” delves into traditional idioms including Son Jarocho, Bossa Nova, Guaguancó, and others. He will continue this scholarship on a newly commissioned work by Eduardo Gamboa which will place a focus on the Tenabaris, a musical instrument, and the indigenous Yaqui people of Northern Mexico.