Kenneth Grant
Instrument: Clarinet
With the RPO since: 1987
Favorite time of year in Rochester, and why? Fall - turning of the leaves and the cooler temperatures.
Hometown: Buffalo
Drink or food you're most likely to order at Java's: iced coffee
When not performing with the RPO, you can find me ... teaching; swimming at the Y or running
First music-related memory: First concert - fall of '60
I decided to be a professional musician when ... I was in the 8th grade
Favorite travel destination: Southern Tier or the Adirondacks
Influential teachers: Donald Mattea, James Pyne, Stanley Hasty, Franklin Cohen and Theodore Johnson. All of these teachers listed in order from the beginning were influential in my being a clarinetist.
Favorite ice cream flavor: vanilla
What are your other "hidden" talents: reading
Do you teach private students? Yes, at Eastman School of Music
What other orchestras have you performed with? Columbus Symphony [OH], Buffalo Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony
Oddest RPO concert (or rehearsal) memory... RIT concert in a parking lot - late '80s - wind gusts around 20 mph
Favorite restaurant in town and why. Pattaya Thai Restaurant in Penfield at the Four Corners - always fresh and outstanding use of flavoring. Wonderful people!!!
What types of music do you like to listen to? Dvorak, Mahler, Mozart Operas, Beethoven - piano/string chamber music
Do you have a pet? My wife has a cat.
The RPO is essential to Rochester because ... it provides a sense of soul to the community and brings wonderful music to so many young people through its educational programs.
My favorite part of working in the RPO is ... The vast repertoire we do and the people on the stage doing it.
If someone were visiting Rochester, what would you tell them to go see or do? Visit the Strassenburg Planetarium or the George Eastman House and afterwards have an Abbott's custard. A drive thru Mendon Pond Park would also be a nice adventure.
Biography
A Buffalo native, Kenneth Grant received his education at the Eastman School of Music. He joined the RPO in 1987 as Principal Clarinet after almost 15 years in the same position with the Columbus Symphony. In 1990, Mr. Grant toured Europe with the Cleveland Orchestra as Assistant Principal Clarinet. In 1994, he won critical acclaim in Japan as soloist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble on the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. In addition to performing, Mr. Grant is Associate Professor of Clarinet at the Eastman School of Music.
