Caroline Hartig

Caroline Hartig is a Professor of Clarinet at The Ohio State University, recognized as an acclaimed clarinet soloist and recording artist. She has performed with orchestras and contemporary music ensembles in major concert halls across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the Fritz Reiner Center for Contemporary Music, Symphony Hall (Boston), as well as venues in Tokyo, Munich, Dublin, Perugia, Cividale, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. Hartig has collaborated with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic, and New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra. Additionally, she has performed as a guest artist for the International Clarinet Association and has been featured on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition.

Hartig's solo recordings have received significant acclaim. Her album Clarinet Brilliante (Centaur Records #2572) was honored as a “Critics’ Choice” by the American Record Guide, which praised her for “numbing, blazing fluidity and rich, luxuriant fervor.” In an overview of woodwind recordings, the American Record Guide cited Clarinet Brilliante as one of the “best of the best” for solo clarinet recital literature, alongside works by legendary clarinetists Harold Wright, David Shifrin, and Ricardo Morales. Clarinet & Saxophone Magazine of Great Britain selected the album as “Editor’s Choice,” describing Hartig’s artistry as “positively breathtaking in its scope and performance.” Her second album, Clarinet Brilliante II (Centaur 2808), was also highly praised, with American Record Guide noting, “The playing is mastery itself.” Hartig is known for her numerous collaborations in new music, having premiered works by prominent composers, including Pulitzer Prize winners William Bolcom and Donald Martino. She can also be heard on Dancing Solo (Innova 512), which features solo and chamber works by Libby Larsen, with whom she premiered the jazz/classical hybrid double concerto "Bally Deux" alongside jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels at the International ClarinetFest® in New Orleans. Her album Chalumeau (Centaur 2965) features benchmark contemporary solo clarinet compositions, including Bolcom’s "Chalumeau," which she commissioned and premiered in Tokyo.

Hartig holds degrees from the New England Conservatory (MM), The Ohio State University (BME), and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (DMA). Her major teachers and mentors have included Harold Wright, Robert Marcellus, Charles Neidich, Michele Zukovsky, George Silfies, Donald McGinnis, David Hite, pianist Artur Balsam, violinist Roman Totenberg, and flutist Sam Baron. She has appeared as the guest classical clarinetist for Clarinet and Klezmer in the Galilee in Jerusalem, has been an artist/faculty member at Corsi Internazionali Di Perfezionamento Musicale in Cittá di Cividale del Friuli, Italy, and has performed and taught at international events such as the European Clarinet Congress in Tilburg, Holland, the Ghent Clarinet Days in Belgium, and the European Clarinet Association's gatherings in Salerno, Italy.

As a highly sought-after master teacher and clinician, Hartig has served as a juror for competitions such as the International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition, the Fulbright Panel for Wind Instruments in New York City, the Ruth Lewis International Clarinet Competition in Tel Aviv, and the Ghent 5th International Clarinet Competition in Belgium. She has also been a guest clinician at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference. A past president of the International Clarinet Association (ICA), Hartig received the prestigious Honorary Membership award from the ICA in Dublin, Ireland. As a Buffet Crampon artist, she performs on various models, including the Légende, Grenadilla, Légende Mopane, Légende Greenline, Tosca, and Festival B-flat/A clarinets, as well as an R-13 E-flat clarinet. She is also the proud owner of a 1975 Buffet Full Boehm clarinet, which she uses for contemporary works that require the low E-flat extension.