Bio
Clarinetist Mike Gruetzner strives to bring excitement and energy to the concert stage as well as the classroom. He is particularly passionate about contemporary music and has shared this passion internationally through solo performances of modern repertoire. Beyond his performing career, Gruetzner has maintained an active teaching schedule where he has taught clarinetists of all ages ranging from beginning junior high students to graduate music majors. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied under the direction of Dr. Jacqueline McIlwain, and received both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the University of New Mexico, where he studied under Professor Keith Lemmons.
Dr. Gruetzner has performed with a variety of professional orchestras, including the New Mexico Philharmonic, Santa Fe Symphony, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, and the Meridian Symphony. His orchestral experience is not limited to the traditional concert stage, however. He has performed live with 9-time CMA Musician of the Year Mac McAnally, and recorded clarinet on McAnally’s 2017 album entitled Southbound: The Orchestra Project. Gruetzner has excelled as a soloist as well. He was invited to give two solo recitals as part of the Arte Joven(Young Art) Music Festival in Mexico, and also won first place in the University of Southern Mississippi Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition, winning the opportunity to perform Scott McAllister's rock-inspired 2001 work Black Dog: Rhapsody for Clarinet with the USM Wind Ensemble.
Beyond the realm of performance, Gruetzner holds a passion for teaching music. He has taught at University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire, where he held the position of Visiting Instructor of Clarinet. Before that, he held a Graduate Teaching Assistant position at both the University of New Mexico and The University of Southern Mississippi, during which time he taught Graduate and Undergraduate clarinet lessons to music majors and minors. Over the past ten years, Mike has also taught at a number of junior high and high schools in New Mexico and Mississippi, where he had various duties including teaching private lessons, running woodwind sectionals, leading full ensemble rehearsals, and assisting with marching bands. Along with his work in local schools, he maintains a clarinet studio, teaching private lessons to students of all skill levels.
