Vanessa Klassen, DMA

Hailing from the Canadian prairies, Dr. Vanessa Klassen is an avid promoter of Canadian clarinet music. She most recently performed the world premiere of Paul Suchan's Middle of Somewhere (2023) for clarinet and jazz band alongside the University of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble. As a concerto competition winner in 2021, she performed Stephen Chatman’s Prairie Dawn as soloist with The Ohio State University Symphony Orchestra. Vanessa currently holds a position as Assistant Principal Clarinet with the Regina Symphony Orchestra and has performed and presented at festivals such as the International Clarinet Association's ClarinetFest®, the Brandon University Clarinet Festival, and Klarinet Kerfuffle (Saskatoon, SK). As a member of the all-women Bella Clarinet Quartet, she is committed to emphasizing inclusion in music with current projects focused on elevating female composers. In addition to operating private studios in multiple Saskatchewan communities, Vanessa creates fun arrangements for clarinet ensembles which are sold worldwide, also featuring her own recordings on her YouTube channel, "ClarinetColours." Vanessa’s passion for music has emanated from her principal clarinet teachers: Dr. Caroline Hartig (The Ohio State University), Dr. Catherine Wood (Brandon University), and Steve Mealey (Kindersley, SK).