Clark Spencer, viola and violin

Violist and violinist Clark Spencer is an active solo, chamber, and orchestral performer living in Wilmington, NC. He is currently principal viola of the Opera Wilmington Orchestra, acting principal viola of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, and section viola in the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra (SC). He has also performed with the Eugene Symphony, Eugene Opera, the Corvallis Symphony, Newport Symphony, and the Oregon Bach Festival. He has had the privilege of performing under the batons of Andrew Litton, Marin Alsop, Jeffrey Kahane, Helmut Rilling, and Gunther Schuller. A founding member of the Brierwood Ensemble, his other chamber music collaborations include the Port City Music Festival, the UNCW Early Music Consort, and the newly formed UNCW Faculty String Quartet.

Originally from Lancaster, PA, Clark earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in performance from Boston University, where he studied viola with Michelle LaCourse and violin with Peter Zazofsky. He completed his DMA in viola performance and string pedagogy from the University of Oregon, where he studied with Dr. Leslie Straka. Clark has also studied with Martha Strongin Katz and Jeffrey Irvine, and has performed in masterclasses with Kim Kashkashian, Arnold Steinhardt, Roger Tapping, Pamela Frank, the Ying String Quartet, the American String Quartet, the Orion String Quartet, and the Muir String Quartet.

An experienced violin and viola teacher, Clark completed his long-term Suzuki training with Karin Hallberg and Louise Scott during his studies at the University of Oregon. In addition to his private studio, he is the director of violin at the St. Mary Catholic School in downtown Wilmington and in 2015 joined the faculty of UNC Wilmington as director of the String Ensemble, instructor of courses in string pedagogy and general music, and violin/viola instructor for the Community Music Academy. Previously, Clark taught for the University of Oregon’s Community Music Institute, where he led group classes, coached chamber music, and conducted a middle school string orchestra. He also coached violin and viola sections of the South Salem High School Chamber Orchestra and the Salem Youth Orchestra. During the summers of 2009 and 2010, Clark served on the faculty at the Vermont Youth Orchestra’s Reveille! Music Festival.