Charles Salinger is the principal clarinetist with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, Opera Delaware Orchestra and the New Jersey Opera Theater Orchestra. He also freelances in the area with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Reading Symphony, and the Philly Pops with Peter Nero.
As a featured soloist with the Delaware Symphony, Mr Salinger has performed the Introduction, Theme, and Variations by Gioacchino Rossini, the Symphonia Concertante by Wolfgang Amadeaus Mozart, the Double Clarinet Concerto in E flat major by Franz Krommer, the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by William Bolcom, the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto, and the Copland Clarinet Concerto with Leon Botstein conducting. Recently, the Pennsylvania Ballet performed a modern work entitled K622 based on the music of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with Mr. Salinger on clarinet.
He has also appeared with the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, the Pennsy Pops, the Ocean City Pops, and the Newark (DE) Symphony.
Recent performances include the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with Musica 2000 and the Brahms and Mozrt Clarinet Quintets with members of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in Gold Ballroom at the Hotel DuPont.
Mr. Salinger attended Temple University and then accepted a full scholarship to Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1977. While at Curtis, he studied with Anthony Gigliotti, principal clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and worked with such notable musicians as Dr. Vladimir Sokoloff, Karen Tuttle, John deLancie, Isidore Cohen, and Dr. Sol Schoenbach. As a member of the Curtis Institute Symphony, he performed under conductors James Levine, William Steinberg, Claudio Abbado, William Smith, Alexander Schneider, Rafael Frubeck deBurgos, Richard Woitech, and Eugene Ormandy.
Mr. Salinger has also played with the Houston Opera Company, the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company, Allentown, Lancaster Symphonies and The Princeton Chamber Orchestra. In the early 80’s he was engaged to play principal clarinet for the Kirov Ballet during their stay in Philadelphia as part of their United States tour.
As a substitute with the Philadelphia Orchestra he has performed under Eugene Ormandy, Ricardo Muti, Leonard Bernstein, Eric Leinsdorf, Zubin Mehta, Raphael Frubeck deBurgos, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Zinman, Charles Dutoit, James DePreist, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Mariss Jansons, Yuri Tamirkanov, Bobby McFerrin, John Williams, Simon Rattle, Christoph Eschenbach, and Alan Gilbert.
In addition to performing with classical groups, Mr. Salinger also free-lances with several Jazz, Pop, and Klezmer bands on saxophone as well as clarinet.
