Liam Burke, clarinet
Julia DeRosa, oboe

Clarinetist Liam Burke has been praised for his vibrant, nuanced performances. Mr. Burke has played with the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, Mostly Mozart Festival, Orchestra of St. Luke's, American Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Bavarian State Opera. In 2019 he was appointed Principal Clarinetist of the American Composers Orchestra.

Liam Burke caught the ear of UK's The Telegraph when he played Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major at the 2012 BBC Proms: "clarinetist Liam Burke... flung out his solo in the finale with gleeful panache."
The New York Times lauded Mr. Burke for Juilliard's "ChamberFest" 2011 and 2012: "it will be hard to forget Liam Burke's handling of the great clarinet solo in 'Abyss of the Birds'... the long, slow crescendos building inexorably from velvety quiet to stark pierces that filled Paul Recital Hall".

Liam Burke studied with Jon Manasse at The Juilliard School, where he earned admission into the highly-selective Accelerated B.M./M.M. Degree Program. Juilliard awarded him the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music; the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship; and the Reed Wizard Ben Armato Clarinet Scholarship. In 2011, Mr. Burke won Juilliard’s Clarinet Concerto Competition and thereby led the conductor-less Juilliard Chamber Orchestra in Copland’s Clarinet Concerto "with vitality and nuance" (The New York Times).

Mr. Burke has performed hundreds of times on Broadway in productions such as Les Miserables, The King and I, On the Town, Dr. Zhivago, and The Cherry Orchard. He continues to enjoy a fulfilling career in New York City as a well-regarded clarinetist and as a sought-after clarinet teacher. Liam is the founder of Liam Burke Custom Woodwind Repair and is a leading repair technician for top musicians across the country.

Julia DeRosa is the principal oboe of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the second oboe/english horn of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, and the second oboe of the American Symphony Orchestra. She is an accomplished freelancer in New York City, performing regularly with the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New York City Opera, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Ballet Theater, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. She has performed as a guest with the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Julia has also performed extensively on Broadway in productions such as Sunset Boulevard, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, and Les Miserables, among others. Her playing can be heard on numerous film and video game soundtracks, such as “Noah” (2014) and “Candy Crush”. She is a proud member of the newly formed Gotham Wind Quintet, which features some of New York City’s finest opera musicians in a wide variety of repertoire. A passionate and experienced teacher, Julia is on faculty at the Mannes School of Music at the New School. She is also the reed-making instructor at the Juilliard School, and maintains an active private studio for students of all ages and levels. Julia received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School in the studio of Elaine Douvas, with additional instruction from Nathan Hughes, Linda Strommen, and Richard Dallessio. She is the recipient of the Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant for outstanding artistry and achievement in leadership, entrepreneurship, and breadth of engagement as well as the Peter Mennin Prize in recognition of outstanding achievement in leadership and music. Ms. DeRosa won the Juilliard Oboe Concerto Competition in 2010, resulting in her performance of the Martinu Oboe Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra, James DePreist conducting. Most recently, Ms. DeRosa has won grand prizes from the National Society of Arts and Letters Woodwind Competition, the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition and the Aspen Music Festival Winds and Harp Concerto Competition. Julia and her husband, clarinetist and repair technician Liam Burke, have been featured in Juilliard’s Artists and their Instruments video series for Juilliard Global Outreach. They reside on the Upper West Side with their son, David, and several pets.