Image
Experience one of the most beloved works in the classical repertoire in the extraordinary setting of Brookgreen Gardens. Clarinetist Eric Schultz returns to Mozart’s timeless Clarinet Concerto, performing on the rare basset clarinet for which Mozart originally conceived the work. Collaborative pianist Muriel Bennett Balzer will perform on Brookgreen’s 1914 Mason & Hamlin piano, once owned by Anna Hyatt Huntington, co-founder of Brookgreen Gardens.
The evening will also include a brief talk exploring the instruments, their history, and the remarkable sound world Mozart had in mind. This special performance offers the opportunity to experience Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto as the composer intended, surrounded by the beauty of Brookgreen Gardens.
Advance registration is required, and seating is limited. Once seating capacity has been reached, a standing room will be available in the neighboring gallery.
About the Performers
Eric Schultz is an American clarinetist acclaimed for his concerto performances, inventive chamber collaborations, and trailblazing interpretations of new music. He maintains an active concerto schedule performing with orchestras across the globe and can be seen and heard from Netflix to National Public Radio.
Through bold collaborations with some of today’s most innovative composers, Schultz is a driving force in shaping the future of the clarinet. He has premiered over 50 solo and chamber works, many written for and dedicated to him, dramatically expanding the instrument’s repertoire and expressive range. Dubbed a “superstar muse” by renowned composer Amanda Harberg and “a sensation” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano, Schultz is known for his liquid, soulful tone quality and singular abilities on the instrument including limitless technical facility, improvisations that span many dialects, and an impossible five-octave range through the stratosphere celebrated as “screaming clarinet.”
As an educator, Schultz encourages an individualized, project-based and passion-fueled creative approach to music learning while advocating for living composers and expanding repertoire lists toward a more intentionally inclusive and relevant future model. He is the creator of The REP Project, advocating for a broader diversity of composers in collegiate music study by intensely focusing on and commissioning one living American composer every year. Hailed a “mastermind” in the Myrtle Beach Herald and a “pathfinder” by iconic American composer Valerie Coleman, he is known for his transformational masterclasses with recent residencies at the Yale School of Music, Conservatorio de Música Piazzolla in Buenos Aires, Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, New York University, California State University Fullerton, The Juilliard School, and more.
Schultz serves as Associate Professor of Clarinet at Coastal Carolina University, where he is coordinator of the woodwind area. His debut solo album POLYGLOT, released by Navona Records, showcases a collection of virtuosic new works written for him. I Care If You Listen of the American Composers Forum praised the album, highlighting a “keen sense of lyricism” and “uncommon sensitivity and precision of expression.” Schultz completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in clarinet performance at Stony Brook University. As a Buffet Crampon performing artist, he performs exclusively on Buffet Crampon clarinets. @ericschultzclarinet
Eric Schultz is a Buffet Crampon performing artist. Special thanks to Buffet Crampon for providing the stunning basset clarinet that makes this performance possible.
Muriel Bennett Balzer is a pianist and collaborative artist whose career bridges music, scholarships, and national service. She earned a master's degree in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University, studying with Ann Schein, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Howard University under Raymond Jackson. Her early musical training began in Turkey with Ayesha Ekshi of the Turkish National Conservatory of Music.
Balzer has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist throughout the United States and internationally, with appearances at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Barns at Wolf Trap, and the Aspen Music Festival. She has also toured internationally, most recently in Brazil as a member of Missing Link.
Collaboration is central to her musical career. She currently performs with clarinetist Eric Schultz as the duo Present Progressive and previously served as accompanist to opera singer Veronica Tyler. Her operatic experience includes working with Washington National Opera and serving as Music Director of the Maryland Opera Society.
Alongside her musical career, Balzer spent 30 years at the National Security Agency, beginning as a cryptanalyst and retiring in 2017 as one of the agency’s senior leaders. She has taught piano and music theory at the Peabody Conservatory and is currently a collaborative pianist at Coastal Carolina University.