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a b o u t​

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Praised for her "liquid tone,.... superb clarity" and "beautifully controlled" sound, Erin Fung has established herself as one of the most sought after clarinetists in North America, and has performed with the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras. Erin previously held tenured positions as Second/Bass Clarinetist of the Vancouver Opera, and Principal Clarinetist of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. Currently, Erin performs as Acting Principal Clarinetist of both the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Alberta, and the Lexington Philharmonic in Kentucky.

An avid chamber musician and soloist, Erin has performed with the Turning Point Ensemble on tour across Canada, in Japan with the WindRose Trio, and with the Project Muse ensemble touring throughout communities in Southern Alberta. She was also a member of the Prevailing Winds woodwind quintet in Calgary, and was a founding member of alta:nova, an innovative group focused on performing and commissioning new music, and shifting the paradigm of the classical music experience. She has premiered works by Thomas Ades, Nico Muhly, Shawn Okpebholo, Meilina Tsui, Alexina Louie, Anthony Tan, and Ana Sokolovic, among others. Erin is constantly searching for meaningful contexts for 21st century music, and finding ways to offer the emotional and compelling experience of music to new audiences.

Also a passionate advocate for music education, Erin currently teaches as the Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at Xavier University. Previously, she served as the clarinet professor at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, and has given masterclasses and taught at Mount Royal University, the University of Calgary, and McGill University. In addition, she served as Project Director for MusAid, a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting instrument donations and coordinating volunteer music teachers for youth in developing countries. Erin also taught free music classes to children at the Inn from the Cold shelter in Calgary, and helped to launch and develop curriculum for PhilharmoniKids, the Calgary Philharmonic's el sistema inspired music program serving underprivileged children in the city. Through these experiences, Erin developed her core belief that sharing and learning through the arts brings great pleasure, deepens societal and personal development, and builds stronger, healthier communities.


Motivated by her belief that music has the ability to bridge societal divides and heal cultural wounds, Erin's recent artistic projects have focused on racial justice. Her 2020 project, Isolation Commissions: The Past We Step Into, came as a response to the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans following the COVID-19 pandemic, and was inspired by the Black Lives Matters movement and Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb. Currently, she is working on a new multidisciplinary installation project, Regeneration, to be presented at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Cincinnati Museum Center this summer. This project, supported by ArtsWave's Truth and Reconciliation stream, seeks to bring attention to the horrific discovery of thousands of  mass graves at residential schools across Canada, and the systemic inequality and racism against on First Nations people.

Erin has been mentored by some of the world's leading clarinet pedagogues, including Richie Hawley, Joaquin Valdepenas, Burt Hara, Ted Oien, and Michael Wayne. She holds a Master of Music degree from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. Her orchestral career has included performances under renowned conductors, including Andris Nelsons, David Zinman, Jun Märkl, Charles Dutoit, Peter Oundjian, Christian Arming, Marin Alsop, Robert Spano, Bill Eddins, and Andrew Litton. Erin held Fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Banff Centre, and also served as 2nd/Eb Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival for several years. Erin has been generously funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Arts Council, the Juno Microgrants, and ArtsWave.

As an artist, Erin is guided by the belief that the creation of new music and artistic experiences can bear witness to injustice, lay groundwork for empathy, and serve as a call to action. Erin acknowledges her home in Cincinnati rests on the stolen and unceded ancestral territories of the Hopewell, Adena, Miami, Shawnee, and Osage peoples, and is committed to collaborating with artists and musicians of all backgrounds.
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