2018 1st Prize Classical Clarinet: Ryan Toher | VEA Competition

2018 1st Prize Classical Clarinet: Ryan Toher

RYAN TOHER 23, born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, is a graduate student at the USC Thornton School of Music where he studies with Yehuda Gilad. Prior to attending USC, Toher received his bachelor’s degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied with Richard Hawkins. While at Oberlin, Toher was a finalist in their concerto competition and inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. Toher is a substitute for the New World Symphony and has attended programs including the Music Academy of the West, New York String Orchestra Seminar, Sarasota Music Festival, Banff Centre Masterclass Series, National Orchestral Institute, and National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. While attending the Music Academy of the West this past summer, Toher was selected for the Zarin Mehta Global Academy and subsequently performed with the New York Philharmonic. Toher has participated in recording projects with the Naxos Music Library and performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician; heard on stations including Sirius XM Radio, WFMT Introductions 98.7 Chicago Radio, and WQRX-FM.