ClarinetTheresa Tunnicliff

Theresa (“Terri”) Tunnicliff has established an international reputation as an orchestral clarinetist and chamber musician. She has performed with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra since 1998 and became a full time member in 2003. Other orchestras she has performed with include the Buffalo Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome. Ms. Tunnicliff was a member of Arioso Winds and has participated in six “Music from Marlboro” tours. She lived for three years in Florence, Italy where she collaborated with Luciano Berio, Trio di Milano and Salvatore Accardo and performed with the ensemble Musicus Concentus. Terri Tunnicliff has toured internationally with Music from Marlboro, Trio di Milano, Luciano Berio and Arioso Winds and is a frequent collaborator with Luscious Noise, Art of Élan and Mainly Mozart. Ms. Tunnicliff has performed at the Marlboro and Mainly Mozart festivals as well as a number of festivals in Italy, France, Spain and Israel. An enthusiastic exponent of new music, she has recorded many contemporary works for the Nonesuch, Crystal and New Albion labels as well as the Hindemith Octet for Sony Classical and the Mozart Clarinet Quintet for Nuova Era. 

Ms. Tunnicliff has been a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Ars Nova and Angelicum Chamber Orchestras and the Orchestra of Verona. She won first prizes in the Major Landers and Cal Arts Concerto Competitions and has served on the faculties of the State University of New York and the University of San Diego. A student of Michele Zukovsky and David Shifrin, she is a graduate of UCSD and California Institute of the Arts. 

GETTING TO KNOW TERRI TUNNICLIFF…

Q: How did you choose your instrument? 

A: I originally chose the flute but I couldn't get a decent tone so my teacher suggested the clarinet because I already had a natural overbite. 

Q: What is your favorite travel destination? 

A: For relaxation, Kauai; for excitement, London

Q: What are some of your favorite composers and/or musical periods? 

A: Mozart for chamber music, Beethoven or Mahler for symphonic music, Verdi for opera

Q: What good book have you read most recently? 

A: The Circle by David Eggers

Q: What do you love most about San Diego (other than the weather)? 

A: If you live and work in downtown San Diego you can get around on foot or by bike or trolley as Europeans do. I have a car but I hardly ever drive it. 

Q: The non-musical accomplishment I am most proud of is…

A: I climbed to the summit of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park: 14,255 feet high!