Jerome Bunke

Jerome Bunke born on September 8, 1945, in Albany, New York, is a clarinetist and record producer.^[1] He has participated as a soloist and chamber musician with various music organizations, including the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Yomiuri Symphony Orchestras, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and the Lake George Opera, which is now known as Opera Saratoga. In his role as a producer, Bunke is recognized for curating the Heritage Collection, an archive that preserves live and recorded performances by Stanley Drucker, who served as the Principal Clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic.^[2][3][4]

Bunke was born on September 8, 1945, in Albany, New York. He completed his education at The Milne School, which is affiliated with SUNY-Albany, and later attended the Juilliard School as a scholarship student, where he obtained both Bachelor of Music and Master of Science degrees.^[5] Additionally, he earned a Ph.D. from New York University as a Collins Scholar. Bunke studied clarinet under the instruction of Stanley Drucker and Leon Russianoff.^[6][7]

Bunke made his solo concert debut in New York in 1968 after winning the Concert Artists Guild Award, subsequently serving as the director of the organization.^[8] He later held a teaching position at New York University, where he was honored with the Founders Day Award. Bunke also became an Affiliate Artist at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri–Kansas City.^[3] He served as the Principal Clarinetist for the Lake George Opera and played clarinet while managing the orchestra for the Martha Graham Dance Company. Additionally, as a founding member of The Ariel Ensemble, he participated in the release of classical music recordings and toured extensively across the United States.^[9]

He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at various notable venues, including Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Greenwich Mews Theater, the Kennedy Center, and the Wisconsin Union Theater. His international engagements include a tour of Japan, where he made solo concerto appearances and participated in television broadcasts with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK, and the Yomiuri Symphony Orchestras.^[10][11]

Bunke is recognized for premiering works by a number of contemporary composers during his playing career. Among these composers are Robert Starer, Paul Harvey, Katherine Hoover, Seymour Barab, Richard Lane, Jack Gottlieb, Michael Cohen, William Mayer, Loretta Jankowski, Elliott Schwartz, Lanny Meyers, and John Freeman. He also performed the Carnegie Hall premiere of Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps.^[12][13]

In 1994, He established Digital Force, a multimedia company that has participated in various projects, including Broadway cast recordings, classical music organizations, and recordings for both independent and commercial artists.^[14][15] Since 2017, he has produced 14 volumes of the Stanley Drucker Heritage Collection, which is a compilation of live and studio recordings featuring Stanley Drucker.^[16][17][18]