James Ognibene

James Ognibene has been the solo bass clarinetist with New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1986 and also performs regularly with James Levine on the Met’s Carnegie Hall chamber series. A native of Warren, Ohio, his principal teachers were Robert Marcellus, Earl Bates, and Anthony Gigliotti as well as bass clarinetists Al Zetzer and Larry Bocanner. Prior to his appointment at the Met, he was a member of the Charlotte, NC Symphony and served four years as a member of the United States Marine Band and White House Orchestra in Washington, DC.

He holds music degrees from Indiana University and Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music, and has participated in the Spoleto, Grand Teton, and Bard Music Festivals. He serves as a clarinet coach for the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Verbier Switzerland.