Jacob Clewell – Viola/Violin

Violist  Jacob Clewell fuses his affinity for string playing with both classical and non-classical interests, leading to an eclectic career touching far corners of musical activity.

He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the United States and Canada, and in chamber performances alongside members of the Escher, Emerson, and Penderecki quartets, Manhattan Chamber Players, Berlin Philharmonic, and pianists Pedja Muzijevic and Andrew Armstrong, among others. Away from classical music, he has performed with Elton John tribute act Elton Rohn, Icelandic “cosmic rock” band Sigur Rós, and premiered original concert études transcribed from music by Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson.

As one half of The Ezra Duo (with pianist Sasha Bult-Ito), he has toured in the US and Canada, performed at Carnegie Hall, and appeared as a special guest at a G7 Summit event. Ezra is ensemble-in-residence at the Emerald Coast Chamber Music Festival in Florida, where Jacob is co-Artistic Director and Artist Faculty for the annual chamber music institute.

Jacob’s mentors have included Mara Gearman, Nicholas Cords, Lawrence Dutton, Steven Dann, and Nobuko Imai, as well as two years of study spent under the Emerson Quartet. “Dr. J” earned his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Toronto under the guidance of Masumi Per Rostad (viola) and Annalee Patipatanakoon (violin).

Jacob cites Boris Kroyt, Hayao Miyazaki, the videogame NieR: Automata, and My Chemical Romance as his greatest inspirations, and can often be found brewing specialty coffee, playing Dungeons and Dragons, or transcribing music for Ezra. He performs on a c.1680 Amati viola, which he has named “Nobu”.