Richard Spece Press Kit

Richard Spece
Program Biography

Richard Spece's agile and exquisitely tender approach to the performance of music has set him apart as one of the most diacritical soloists of our time. The beauty and distinctiveness of his performance interpretations make him an exceedingly sought-after concert artist. As a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, Spece has enchanted audiences throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. His adroit and artful performances have received frequent acclaim with recurrent references to the fluidity and flexibility of his skills.

Richard Spece’s extensive performance experience has included founding the critically acclaimed chamber ensemble, Saeculum Aureum Players, world premieres of multiple pieces including BlingBling for clarinet and piano (composed for the artist by Scott McAllister ), and multiple recording projects including two CDs with the Westwood Wind Quintet to be released in 2008 on Crystal Records.  He has received critical acclaim for his recording, Vintage Woodwinds, on Crystal Records which has received outstanding reviews from BBC Music Magazine, Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide, Peninsula Reviews, The Seattle Times, The Instrumentalist, Classics Today, The Clarinet, De Klarinet, and L’ovabese.

As an accomplished orchestral and chamber musician, Spece has performed in a variety of esteemed venues around the country including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Embassy of France in Washington DC, the Arlene Schnitzer Hall, Benaroya Hall, and Avery Fischer Hall among others. He has performed in numerous chamber music series including the Smithsonian Hirshorn Museum Recital Series, the Music in the Mansion Series at the Strathmore, the Alexander Paley Festival, the Music on the Mountain Series, the Mozart Society of California Chamber Music Series, the Instituto de la Cultura Festival de Primavera, and the Summer Festival of Sacred Music in New York City.

His passion for period instrument performance has led him to work with such early music ensembles as the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Ama Deus Ensemble, California Bach Society, Magnificat, Classical Consort, Concert Spirituel, Opera Lafayette, Opera Vivente and the Handel Choir of Baltimore.

In addition to Mr. Spece’s extraordinary and eclectic artistry, his education has been exhaustive.  He received his Doctor of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, received a Master of Music degree from University of Washington, completed intensive post-baccalaureate studies in clarinet at the Hochschule für Musik, ( Detmold, Germany ), and received a Bachelor of Music degree from Portland State University.  Spece has had the opportunity to study with some of the greatest clarinet performers and pedagogues in the country, including James Campbell, Alfred Prinz, Howard Klug, William McColl, and Stan Stanford . Spece has served as professor at universities in Oregon, Washington, Indiana, and Texas.