Oran Etkin

Described as &quot;ebullient&quot; by New York Times and &quot;composer of eminent individuality&quot; by <a href="spotify:artist:33XkS6h90eeK7e6OJHw0mq" data-name="Yusef Lateef">Yusef Lateef</a>, voted #1 Rising Star Clarinetist in DownBeat Magazine&#39;s Critics Poll. Etkin&#39;s duo concert with <a href="spotify:artist:2kQZjl1wnD42U6rKhAHmz5" data-name="Sullivan Fortner">Sullivan Fortner</a> in Paris was chosen in the Top 6 Musical Highlights of the year by Liberation: &quot;a concert of weightlessness, class, spark, inspiration and sharing. Magic uninterrupted for two hours. The crowd... went wild. For such is the music of Etkin: sensitive to the exchange with the audience.&quot;

Etkin&#39;s unique sound on the clarinet, bass-clarinet &amp; saxophone emanates from an openness to deep connections that transcend cultural &amp; generational boundaries. He began reimagining how touring can be part of the creative process with <a href="spotify:album:4WMqrMsU0ANrhXKEwm5gy1" data-name="Gathering Light">Gathering Light</a>: Flipping the record-then-tour model, he first toured in Asia, Africa &amp; Middle East, then let the rhythms &amp; melodies he encountered influence the music he created with his New York band (<a href="spotify:artist:5fhkjcgOAjl6gQGsQOcP46" data-name="Nasheet Waits">Nasheet Waits</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5kLzbHcCf9EwkKmuc04zlE" data-name="Ben Allison">Ben Allison</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:06RNxC4wlLY4Vu67ETadWo" data-name="Curtis Fowlkes">Curtis Fowlkes</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6q6EXv5ybArXqifMdmTIig" data-name="Lionel Loueke">Lionel Loueke</a>). In April 2020 he launches the Open Arms Project: a monthly series of singles + music videos recorded &amp; filmed around the world with master musicians in Brazil, France, Zimbabwe, Czech Republic &amp; more.

Etkin feels a responsibility to continue passing the rich musical traditions of this world to the next generation. His Timbalooloo program created a paradigm shift in how children are introduced to music, as can be heard on <a href="spotify:album:2DBMqAAXgrNpGMQMbDfToW" data-name="Wake up Clarinet!">Wake up Clarinet!</a> &amp; <a href="spotify:album:1FPMXPRwNxtZISnOGshyfN" data-name="Finding Friends Far from Home: a Journey with Clara Net">Finding Friends Far from Home: a Journey with Clara Net</a>.