Tad Calcara

Tad Calcara has been the principal clarinet of the Utah Symphony since 1998. Originally from Oceanside, California, his musical career has spanned both classical music and Jazz. In addition to his position with the Utah Symphony, he has served as principal clarinet of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and the New World Symphony, and he frequently performed with the Cleveland Orchestra. Calcara's passion for early Jazz and Big Band/Swing Era music led him to establish the New Deal Swing Orchestra in 2003, which has performed with the Utah Symphony, at the Salt Lake Jazz Festival, and in the Excellence in the Community Concert Series. He also developed a popular Big Band symphony pops show that entertained sold-out audiences for many years.

During the pandemic, Calcara explored new creative outlets by producing a series of popular "one-man band" music videos where he played multiple instruments in his elaborate arrangements. His renditions of Gershwin's "Somebody Loves Me" and the Brown/Freed composition "Good Morning" went viral, each receiving over 1.2 million views shortly after being posted.

Calcara began his musical studies on the piano at age five and took up the clarinet at age 12, studying with his father. His interest in Jazz and Swing was encouraged by weekend "jam sessions" with his grandfather, a former band leader. He later attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied under Leon Russianoff and Charles Russo. After completing his undergraduate degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he pursued a Master's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, during which he secured principal clarinet positions with the Canton Symphony and Akron Symphony. His summers were spent at music festivals such as Tanglewood, Aspen, and the Music Academy of the West.

Calcara's talent earned him the grand prize at the San Diego Musical Merit Competition, and he was a finalist in the Buffet International Clarinet Competition (1994) and Ima Hogg Competition (1998). He also received the Gino Cioffi Memorial Prize for outstanding woodwind instrumentalist at the Tanglewood Music Center in 1998.

Throughout his career, Calcara has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, New World Symphony, Texas Festival Orchestra, Big Band Jazz Hall of Fame Orchestra, Coastal Communities Big Band, and the Utah Symphony. His performance of Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue & Riffs with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony was featured on the RCA Red Seal CD New World Jazz (1998). He has also performed in recitals for Radio France in Montpellier and NPR, including the inaugural New World Symphony Wilhelmina Harrell Honors Concert in 1999.

Since joining the Utah Symphony, Calcara has performed as a soloist multiple times on the symphony's Masterworks and Pops series and at the Deer Valley Music Festival. His rendition of the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto was highlighted on KSL’s annual Salute to the Utah Symphony television special in 2001. He is also an active chamber musician, performing at events such as the La Jolla Summer Festival, Kol Ami Concert series, and the Nova and Intermezzo Chamber Music Series.

In the Jazz world, Calcara continues to lead the New Deal Swing Orchestra and serves as the music director for the San Diego-based Big Band Jazz Hall of Fame Orchestra, a position he has held for 18 seasons. His work with this ensemble has resulted in two CDs/DVDs and collaborations with many Big Band legends, including Duke Ellington vocalist Herb Jeffries.

Calcara is a Buffet Crampon and D'Addario artist, playing exclusively on Buffet clarinets and D'Addario Reserve Classic/Evolution clarinet reeds.