Ethan Usoskin Performing At ‘Sessions in Hempstead House’

New York-based clarinetist Ethan Usoskin is performing at Sessions in Hempstead House at Sands Point Preserve on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m.

Usoskin is a senior at Mannes School of Music, a conservatory in Manhattan, where he studies with Jon Manasse, the principal clarinetist for the American Ballet Theater. “What makes the clarinet such an amazing instrument is that it’s capable of playing from softer than a whisper to carrying over an entire orchestra, while also having the range as low as a baritone vocalist to as high as a flute.” Usoskin said.

“It’s one of the most flexible instruments,” added Usoskin, who began playing at age 9 as a student in the Port Washington district. “There’s a lot of variety in the tone colors you can create on it. Mozart himself said that the clarinet is the instrument that most closely resembles the human voice." Repertoire for the evening includes Mozart, Debussy, Gershwin and more. On piano is Alla Milchtein, who was born in Russia and grew up in Mexico. She earned a Bachelor’ s degree in piano performance and a Master’s degree in piano performance and chamber music from the Rotterdam Conservatory in The Netherlands. She has studied with Mila Baslawskaja. Now, Milchtein is a staff pianist at Mannes, where she pursued her professional studies in collaborative piano, studying with Cristina Stanescu.

“The Conservancy’s new series ‘Sessions in Hempstead House’ is designed to give young artists a special place to showcase their work, and we are delighted to welcome Ethan and Alla back for this unique tribute to the clarinet,” said Beth Horn, managing director of Sands Point Preserve Conservancy. Usoskin graduated in 2014 from Schreiber High School where he found valued support from the music department, particularly from Mark Brenner. Usoskin studied privately with Meryl Abt, and also Liam Burke. At Mannes, Usoskin also
works worked closely with David Krakauer.

In his senior year at Schreiber High School, Usoskin was a recipient of the first Marian McPartland scholarship provided by the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, and was a first prizewinner of the Long Island Youth Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, leading to a performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. And since its inception in 2015, the Apotheosis Opera Orchestra has featured Usoskin as the principal clarinetist during summer performances in Manhattan. Usoskin is equally at home performing in New York City, and Long Island. “I’m really looking forward to playing at the Preserve, where the acoustics are so resonant and lively, not to mention that Hempstead House also serves as a beautiful performance venue,” Usoskin said. “It’s nice being so close to the audience where there’s no barrier and you can see and connect with the audience.”
The evening includes a wine tasting, courtesy of Post Wine & Spirits. For tickets, visit goo.gl/JWiyZx