Michael Webster is Professor of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and Artistic Director of the award-winning Houston Youth Symphony. Formerly principal clarinetist with the Rochester Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony, he has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, the Tokyo, Cleveland, Muir, Ying, Enso, and Chester String Quartets, and at many of North America’s most prominent chamber music festivals. Webster has performed and taught on five continents and recorded for Arabesque, Albany, Beauport, Bridge, Camerata, Centaur, C.R.I., Crystal, and Nami labels. His compositions and transcriptions are published by International, G. Schirmer, and Schott. He writes a regular column for The Clarinet magazine entitled “Teaching Clarinet” and has been a YOA faculty member since 2005.