Gavin Warren
Clarinet
Based in southern Ontario, Gavin Warren is a clarinet player known for his boundless expressivity and technical prowess. He holds a Bachelor's of Classical Clarinet Performance from the University of Toronto where he studied under the tutelage of professional clarinetist Peter Stoll. Beginning his instrumental studies at fourteen, Gavin quickly picked up the craft and was encouraged by peers, teachers, and adjudicators to pursue music. While in high school, Gavin received a handful of awards for his artistic ability on clarinet and bass clarinet. The most notable of which being the Bernice Adams Award for Artistic Achievement; awarded to the graduate most likely to succeed in music, drama, or visual arts.
While in university, Gavin collaborated with up and coming student composers such as Sean Parker, Minjoo Kim, Stephen Morris, Erik Kreem, and Quishi Jiang to premiere new compositions for clarinet. He has performed in various settings including a few musical productions, the Governor-General Horse Guard’s military band, and a wide variety of chamber music gigs within southern Ontario. Gavin earned a winning spot in the 2019 Kitchener-Waterloo (KW) Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. Gavin is the newly-appointed principal clarinetist of the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra but has also played in the KW Youth Orchestra, the KW Youth Concert Band, the KW Chamber Orchestra, the KW Community Orchestra, and the 2016 Ontario Provincial Honour Band.
Gavin has earned scholarships and solo opportunities from both the KW Youth Orchestra and KW Youth Concert Band. During university, he was a member of the U of T Wind Symphony, U of T Wind Ensemble, U of T Symphony Orchestra, and the Contemporary Music Ensemble. Gavin received the Walter Homburger Scholarship and the Brooke Memorial Scholarship over the course of his four-year degree.
During the past years, Gavin has focused his efforts on making classical music more accessible to the people of Chatham-Kent, particularly those in the municipality of Wallaceburg. He has set about accomplishing this task by staging a local recital series and offering music instruction in one-on-one or group settings. Though a relative newcomer, Gavin is thrilled to be a part of the growing music community in an area that has historically struggled with accessibility to fine arts.