Brian Eldridge

Clarinet Second / E-flat

Brian Eldridge headshot

What city are you living in now? Odenton, MD

Where did you study? West Virginia University and the University of Michigan

What is your favorite piece of music? Dvorak’s Cello Concerto

What do you enjoy in your spare time? I enjoy hiking, working on my cars and my house, watch repair, cigars, and spending time with my four children. My wife is an amazing violinist, and we enjoy playing Bach together when we have spare time.

What is your fondest Annapolis Symphony memory? Performing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring during the 2022 season.

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Maryland native Brian Eldridge began his clarinet studies with Mrs. Jean Miller, and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University, where he studied clarinet with Dr. John Weigand, and master’s degree from the University of Michigan in clarinet performance, where he studied with Fred Ormand. He has been the Second / E-flat clarinetist with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra since 2016. He served as E-flat clarinetist with The United States Army Field Band from 2005 to 2025, where he was a frequent soloist and performed on 54 concert tours throughout the United States and Europe. His clarinet quartet championed transcriptions of string quartet repertoire and was heard at top universities and conservatories, as well as the Midwest Clinic and the International Clarinet Association. 

He has taught masterclasses around the United States, and performed with the West Virginia, Plymouth, and Windsor symphony orchestras, and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. A long time practitioner of the art of clarinet reed-making, he also enjoys woodworking, car repair, home renovation, hiking, and spending time with his wife, who is a professional violinist, and their four children.