Donald Montanaro

Clarinet

A native Philadelphian, Donald Montanaro is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with former Philadelphia Orchestra’s Principal Clarinetist Anthony Gigliotti. For three years prior to joining The Philadelphia Orchestra, he was a member of the New Orleans Philharmonic. He joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1957 and performed as Associate Principal Clarinet till 2005. In 1965 he married Margarita Csonka, who is now Co-Principal Harpist of The Philadelphia Orchestra

Mr. Montanaro has toured Europe and the Far East as a soloist and in chamber music performances. He has also performed in many Chamber Music Festivals, including the Marlboro and Casals Festivals. Mr. Montanaro is one of the founders of the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble and has been its music director since its inception in 1977. He has released several chamber music recordings with Boston Records.

Donald Montanaro has been a faculty member of The Curtis Institute of Music since 1980, where he teaches both the clarinet and woodwind chamber music. Aside from his replacement at the Philadelphia Orchestra, Sam Caviezel, his students occupy positions in many symphony orchestras including the principal players in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Dallas, the Metropolitan Opera and others.

Aside from playing and teaching, Mr. Montanaro has designed some of the most successful clarinet mouthpieces in the world for the French company Vandoren