Clarinet

Daniel Ketter, Principal Clarinet

Daniel Ketter is a recipient of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada Award of Excellence, Italian Academy of Clarinet 2021 Clarinet online contest Second Prize, Interlochen Arts Camp Fennel Scholarship, and the New York Youth Symphony Vargas-Vetter/Ukena Fellowship. He holds the Principal Clarinet position with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and has played with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in the Aurora and Horizons Tour, NJSMA Region 1 Orchestra as Principal Clarinet, and the New Jersey All-State Band as First Chair clarinet. Daniel manages a private teaching studio as well as working as a mentor in the online Clarinet Transformation Community. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia where he studied with Jose Franch-Ballester and obtained his Bachelors in Clarinet Performance.   

Victor (Zhiwei) Ni

Zhiwei Ni started playing the clarinet at the age of 9 under clarinet educator Fan Lei. Zhiwei has studied with Emil Khudyev at Interlochen and with Yehuda Gilad at the Colburn Music Academy. He now attends the Eastman School of Music where he studies on full scholarship with professor Michael Wayne. In 2019 and 2020, Zhiwei was selected for the China Youth Symphony Orchestra (NYO-China) and toured Europe.

Recent prizes and honors include: second prize of the Central Conservatory of Music International Mozart Clarinet Competition (2016); first place in the China National Clarinet competition in Qingdao; second prize of the Vandoren Emerging Artist competition (2020); first prize of the China-Spain International Music Competition (2021); first prize and Grand Cash prize of Rising Star Berlin International Music Competition; Carl Nielsen International Competition candidate (2022).