Why I Chose Backun
“My life has been changed by these instruments—they are a joy to play, and intonation has never been easier. Morrie, Joel, and the entire Backun team are truly wonderful to work with.”
About
Deborah Bish is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Florida State University. She has performed with orchestras throughout the United States, including the Arizona Opera (most notably in a production of the Ring Cycle), the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra under the direction of Jeffrey Siegel, the Phoenix Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Arkansas Symphony. Currently, she performs as Principal Clarinetist with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Bish has been featured as a recitalist, clinician, and chamber musician at festivals and conventions, including performances at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall; the Shanghai Conservatory in Shanghai, China; the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFests in Orlando, Baton Rouge, Lincoln, Austin, Vancouver, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City; the College Band Director’s National Association Convention in Atlanta, Georgia; the Florida Music Educator’s Association Convention in Tampa, Florida; and the Festival Internacional de Inverno in Vale Vêneto, Brazil.
She has taught at summer music festivals including Interlochen, Aria Academy, and the Lift Academy. She is currently on the faculty at the Belgian Clarinet Academy.
She is very active in the commission, research, and performance of new works. Her recent projects include a recording of the works of Gregory Wanamaker, featuring two pieces written for her by Wanamaker titled clarikinetics and Sonata; and a biography of clarinetist and composer William O. Smith.
Her biography appears in the twenty-fourth edition of the Marquis Who's Who of American Women and in several editions of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She has received the University Undergraduate Teaching Award at Florida State University, and has served as an adjudicator in competitions including both the Young Artist’s Competition and the High School Competition for the International Clarinet Association.
