Melissa Johnson Lander

Clarinet

National Chamber Winds — Clarinet
Maryland Winds — Principal Clarinet

GPD (Peabody Conservatory), MM (University of Michigan), BMus (Eastman School of Music)

Equally accomplished in large ensembles and chamber groups, clarinetist Melissa Johnson Lander is an emotionally captivating artist known for her rich clarity of sound. She has performed in some of the world’s greatest concert halls from Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Kennedy Center to many unique locales including Barrow, Alaska, the castle ruins in Heidelberg, and the Royal Norwegian Palace. Ms. Lander currently serves as Clarinetist with the National Chamber Winds in Washington D.C. Previously she served as Executive Director and Clarinetist with Symphony Number One and Co-Principal Clarinetist of the US Army Field Band, performing more than 800 concerts including joint concerts with the Detroit Symphony, the Boston Pops, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Ms. Lander was a frequent soloist with the band performing Aaron Copland’s Concerto and premiering a new accompaniment for the solo work Homage a Manuel de Falla by Bella Kovacs, among others. She was also a member of the Pentagon Winds woodwind quintet, presenting recitals and educational master classes at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Ms. Lander gave her solo recital debut at the age of 21 with a LIVE radio broadcast on NPR as a result of winning the Neale-Silva Young Artist Competition. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, the University of Michigan and Interlochen Arts Academy studying with Kenneth Grant and Deborah Chodacki. Recently Ms. Lander completed Graduate Performance Diplomas in Clarinet and Chamber Music from Peabody Conservatory where she studied with New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinetist Anthony McGill, and received the 2016 Grace Glagett Raney Prize for exceptional chamber music accomplishment.