Amer Hasan, clarinet

Born in Chicago, Amer Hasan is a Palestinian-American classical clarinetist whose playing has been described as “honey-toned”, “agile“, and “panoramic” (Cleveland Classical). He is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and educator. Performing and teaching classical music has led him to engage with audiences worldwide, with performances across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, East Asia, and Jordan. Winner of the 2021 Astral Artists National Competition, Amer has performed as a soloist with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, and the Akron Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Amer has performed and won prizes at the Fischoff and M-Prize chamber music competitions. He was the clarinetist of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble in 2021 and subsequently premiered over a dozen new works for chamber ensembles. Upcoming projects include performances, premieres, and a new album with the Riwaya Ensemble, a NYC-based ensemble dedicated to performing contemporary classical music by Middle Eastern composers. Amer has toured internationally with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an orchestra co-founded by Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim, with performances in Europe, Asia, and New York City. A passionate educator, Amer has taught undergraduate clarinet lessons and chamber music classes at Yale University and Oberlin College. He also served as a teaching artist for Oberlin Conservatory’s tour of Jordan, and has taught classes at the Interlochen Arts Academy, the University of Akron, Montana State University, and Yale’s Music in Schools Initiative. A first-generation college graduate, Amer received his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music and his Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. His major musical influences include David Shifrin, Richard Hawkins, Bonnie Campbell, and Kinan Azmeh.