Category: Bass Clarinet

Australian Hometown(s): Brisbane & Melbourne
Education: Queensland Conservatorium, Royal Academy of Music, London

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan studied Clarinet with Floyd Williams at the Queensland Conservatorium. When he finished school, he was accepted into the Diploma of Music (Performance) course, and during this time he won several prizes for both solo performing and chamber music.

Upon completion of the Diploma, Jonathan travelled to London where he received a licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Jonathan moved to Perth to teach at the West Australian Conservatorium of Music when he returned to Australia. In 1993 he was appointed Principal Bass Clarinet for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). Three years later Jonathan became Associate Principal Clarinet in the same orchestra.

Jonathan worked freelance in Melbourne and Tasmania until he was appointed to the position of Principal Bass Clarinet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2001.

Last updated 2023

Australian Hometown(s): Bundaberg & Sydney
Education: Queensland Conservatorium of Music

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Alex Morris hails from Bundaberg in regional Queensland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in Advanced Performance from the Queensland Conservatorium, where he studied with Paul Dean and Floyd Williams, before attending the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne as a student of David Thomas. His studies also took him to Los Angeles, where he studied at the Colburn Conservatory with Yehuda Gilad.

Before joining the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bass Clarinet in 2018, he was Assistant Principal Clarinet and Bass Clarinet of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2016–2018). In addition to his work in Vancouver, he has performed as guest principal clarinet with the Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmanian symphony orchestras, as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, Opera Australia Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. As a concerto soloist he has appeared with the Aspen Music Festival, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the South Melbourne Symphony.

Alex Morris was a Bass Clarinet Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival in 2014 and won the Aspen Concerto Competition that year. In 2013 he was an ANAM Fellow, performing, directing and curating his own series of recitals and chamber music concerts with students, faculty and guest artists. From 2006 to 2010 he participated in many programs of the Australian Youth Orchestra, including performing as principal clarinet on the AYO’s 2010 European tour.

A passionate chamber musician, he was a winner of the ANAM chamber music competition and the Gertrude Langer Ensemble prize, and many of his solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast on ABC Classic FM. He has also premiered many new works for both clarinet and bass clarinet.

Last updated 2022