BIOGRAPHY
Betty Bley, Clarinet
Betty Bley is a Vandoren Artist Clinician and is the Principal Clarinetist in The Loudoun Symphony Orchestra. She also performs regularly with The Pro Arté Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington, The Washington Sinfonietta, and The Virginia Grand Military Band. She maintains a large private studio and works throughout Northern Virginia as an adjudicator, clinician, master class instructor, clarinet sectional coach, and freelance musician.
Ms. Bley’s students are routinely selected as principal players in local youth orchestras, youth wind programs, All-District Bands, Senior Regional Orchestras, and the Virginia All-State Bands and Orchestras on all types of clarinets including Bb Soprano, Eb Soprano, Bass Clarinet, Contra Alto Clarinet and Contra Bass Clarinet. Many of Ms. Bley’s students have been selected to perform in the NafME All-National Honor Band and the Music For All Honor Band of America. One of her students was the Woodwind Division Winner in the nation-wide SmartMusic Bumblebee Competition. Her students have also been selected as finalists in the annual Sidney Forrest Clarinet Competition, and one of them was the winner of the High School division.
Ms. Bley is the editor of clarinet music for the Virginia Band & Orchestra Directors Association, grading and maintaining a database of over 4,000 solo and ensemble works for clarinet (as an unpaid volunteer). For four weeks each summer, she teaches clarinet technique to over one hundred beginning through ninth grade students at the Vienna Band Camp, followed by a week of teaching clarinet technique at the Western Loudoun Band Camp.
Ms. Bley holds a MMA in Clarinet Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory, a MS in Management Information Systems from the George Washington University, a BA in Music and a BS in Psychology from the College of William & Mary, and attended the University of Michigan School of Music at Interlochen. During winter breaks, she performs as a soloist at the Bruges Conservatory in Belgium, where she received a Clarinetissimo Talent Award for her “outstanding performances and high artistic level.”
Ms. Bley has studied clarinet with Barbara Duman of Reston, Virginia, Patti Carlson of the Virginia Symphony, Sidney Forrest of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, William Wright of the National Symphony Orchestra, Larry Bocaner of the National Symphony Orchestra, Garrick Zoeter of Shenandoah Conservatory, and Paul Cigan of the National Symphony Orchestra.