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Do Any Celebrities Play Clarinet?

Do any celebrities play clarinet?  This is a wide question, it should probably be - Have any celebrities played clarinet? 

Many of the following celebrities are in varied stages of clarinet playing: Some played clarinet in High School, quit in Middle School, some play on a short video to show they know how to play clarinet (but it is not part of their daily activities), and then the occasional regular clarinet player.  A few at the end of the list are noted on other sites to have played clarinet, but I couldn’t really verify it.

Below, learn more about Woody Allen, Alan Greenspan, Alyson Hannigan, Jimmy Kimmel, Ava Longoria, Harpo Marx, Nicki Minaj, Christian Morin, Jenna Mourey (Jenna Marbles), Julia Roberts, Liev Schreiber, Amanda Seyfried, Steven Spielberg, Squidward, Kurt Vonnnegut, Jr., and Rainn Wilson. 

G Major Clarinet Scale Demo

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This is the first of the series of Major Scale demonstrations which will end up on the Clarinet Major Scales page eventually.   Go to that page for your Free Downloadable Clarinet Major Scales PDF. 

Do Any Celebrities Play Clarinet?

CELEBRITIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Woody Allen – clarinet.  Mr. Allen is at the top of the list alphabetically, but he is likely the only celebrity clarinetist who performs regularly on clarinet.  His celebrity status is not as a clarinetist, though, he is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades.  He plays regularly at the Café Carlyle in Manhattan, and as Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band. 

Alan Greenspan – American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006.   He played clarinet and saxophone along with Stan Getz. He further studied clarinet at the Juilliard School from 1943 to 1944 and later earned degrees in economics.

Alyson Hannigan - She played the clarinet growing up, but gave it up before reaching high school.

Jimmy Kimmel - Can Jimmy Kimmel play clarinet?  Kimmel plays the bass clarinet, and was a guest performer at a concert in Costa Mesa, California, on July 20, 2008, featuring The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, performing with the group on the song "The Impression That I Get".

See below Jimmy Kimmel and Eva Longoria playing clarinets.  Now the bigger question, do they play clarinet?

Eva Longoria – clarinet / drum majorette (as seen above on Kimmel video).

Harpo Marx - Mr. Marx was an American comedian, actor, mime artist,[2] and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. Below is a video of Marx goofing off with none other than clarinet masters Benny Goodman and Reginald Kell.  This is a silent video with a cool clarinet audio track on top.  Mr. Marx clearly has fun as a master of comedy with masters of the clarinet. 

Okay, below, Mr. Marx can clearly play some clarinet. Old time comedy that is timeless and with Milton Berle.

Nicki Minaj - Did Nicki Minaj play clarinet?  On 'Carpool Karaoke' Corden pulled out a clarinet, which Nicki Minaj blows through.  She admits the instrument was part of the early days of her musical career.  Playing it?  

Christian Morin - French television and radio presenter, musician (clarinetist) and comedian.

Jenna Mourey - (or Jenna Marbles) is a comedian, a Vlogger, a Youtube celebrity with almost 15 Million subscribers and more than 1.7 billion channel views.  Clearly this is a new type celebrity and there are probably more out there that played clarinet as some point in their life.  As a child, Jenna used to play the clarinet, piano and enjoyed gymnastic activities.

Julia Roberts – played clarinet and oboe in high school.

Liev Schreiber - In high school, Liev played the bass clarinet.

Amanda Seyfried – played clarinet in high school.  See photo below...

Amandy Seyfriedclarinet

Steven Spielberg – noted film director played the clarinet in both his grade school (primary school) band and high school band.  Spielberg raised his hand to John Williams to add an “amateur” sound to a John Philip Sousa march in the high school band in Jaws. 

Spielberg’s first film ever, Firelight, which he created in high school included a movie score that Spielberg himself composed on clarinet.  His mother arranged the music for piano and Spielberg’s Arcadia High School Band in Phoenix, AZ.

1941 – Another Spielberg film that is probably best known for it’s catchy 1941 March.  John Williams composed this score as well and Spielberg added his clarinet talents to it.

Of all the celebrities on this page, Spielberg shows that his musical roots at an early age truly influenced the career that made him famous.  On this video here you can see the input Spielberg gives John Williams on the E.T. film score. 

SQUIDWARD – Okay, for young people, Squidward is a household name.  Clarinetist Squidward is of course a cartoon character and not a human celebrity. However, due to his popularity, it is probably good to mention the clarinetist behind Squidward, Mr. Brad Carow.  You can read more about Mr. Carow here, and visit the Clarinet-Now.com Squidward page here.   I’m glad that I grew up playing clarinet before Squidward or SpongeBob were ever created.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - At Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, he played clarinet in the school band and served as a writer and editor for the school’s daily newspaper.

Rainn Wilson - Clarinet / Saxophone / Bassoon / Xylophone or Bells / Percussion.  He attended Kellogg Middle School and Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the school band.

Do Any Celebrities Play Clarinet?  UNVERIFIED

I see the following names on other sources that these celebrities play or have played clarinet, but Clarinet-Now.com has not verified it.

John Candy – quoted “I can't play an instrument, I can at least play records.”*

Gloria Estefan – some sources say she played clarinet and guitar in high school, and I verified the guitar, but nothing official on clarinet.*

Sara Evans – country music singer and songwriter, not finding a real clarinet reference.*

Are You the Celebrity Clarinetist or Agent?

*Maybe you are scrolling around seeing what the world is saying about you and you see your name on this list.  Clarinet-Now.com would love any information you might share about your clarinet experience.   If you have some verification like a high school band photo to share or maybe some stories.   Please Contact here. 

If I were allowed to ask questions (over email is fine), here are starters:

When did you play clarinet (from when to when)?

Did that clarinet or musical experience shape your career in any way?

Do you still have your clarinet?

Do you play clarinet any today?

If you are on the unverified list, any of the above questions will help, but I might have to have an agent reference to make sure.   Thank you!


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