bio

Originating from the shores of West Michigan, Amy Zuidema (she/they) is a contemporary bass clarinet specialist, improviser, creator, and educator committed to pioneering new music. She commissions and creates works that delve into themes of resilience, connection, and self-compassion, leveraging the bass clarinet’s fragile, temperamental nature and rich timbral depth to convey complex emotional narratives. Central to Amy’s practice is her dedication to cultivating emotionally safe creative spaces, where vulnerability ignites innovative exchanges and fosters collective growth.

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Amy is the recipient of the 2022 Frank Huntington Beebe Grant, enabling their pursuit of a European Master of Music in New Audiences & Innovative Practices at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, The Netherlands. A recent graduate, Amy studied contemporary bass clarinet under Fie Schouten, pupil of the late Harry Sparnaay. Now back in the U.S., Amy aims to continue their legacy of forging bass clarinet as a solo instrument & expanding its repertoire.

Amy has worked directly with artists Evan Ziporyn, Michael Lowenstern, Ken Thomson, Michael Gordon, Mark Stewart, Ernesto Molinari, Shizuyo Oka, Peter Evans, & Rebekah Heller, among others. Amy performed at the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, International Contemporary Ensemble’s Ensemble Evolution, Darmstadter Ferienkurse, The International Clarinet Association Conference in Dublin, Ireland & The European Clarinet Congress in Tilburg, NL. Amy has curated and performed recitals as a guest artist at Oberlin Conservatory and Brown University.

They presented their research on cultivating safe emotional spaces at Oberlin Conservatory (USA), Darmstädter Ferienkurse (Germany), Prins Claus Conservatorium (Netherlands), and the International Clarinet Association Festival (Ireland). Her action-based research led to her master’s thesis, “Cultivating Emotional Safe Spaces for Creativity & Innovation.”

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From 2021-2022, Amy was a lecturer of music at Ithaca College where they taught clarinet to future educators as well as private lessons. Amy served as a graduate assistant from 2019-2021.

From 2015-2021, Amy served as a clarinetist for the 338th Army Reserve Band out of Detroit Michigan. In this capacity, Amy traveled the U.S. with the military to perform ceremonies and public relations events, including the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Amy was mentioned on the Commandant’s List for graduating top of her class at the Army School of Music in 2016.

Amy graduated from Ithaca College with a M.M. in clarinet performance in 2021 under the instruction of clarinetist Dr. Richard Faria after completing their B.M. at Grand Valley State University studying under Dr. Gary June.