MARTIN VAN DE VEN (clarinet)

A unique stylist, Martin brings fire, elegance and humour to his performance of klezmer music with Beyond the Pale. On both clarinet and bass clarinet Martin’s explosive solos can rouse an audience to a frenzy, but he’s also an extremely sensitive player, providing perfectly subtle ensemble parts to support the group. His daring original compositions carve new musical territory, rooted in traditional folk styles but informed by Jazz, Classical, and New Music. A mainstay of the Canadian klezmer scene for well over a decade, Martin is a former member of the
Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band and is a frequent performer and instructor at klezmer music festivals around the world. He has published two instructional volumes of his klezmer transcriptions and has composed and performed music for many film, television, theatre, and dance productions. Martin is a graduate of Queen’s University (M.Mus).