Blue Ridge Orchestra's
Conductor and Music Director

Ronald D. Clearfield,
Cellist/Composer/Conductor

110 Dan Ledbetter Rd.
Leicester, NC 28748
(828) 683-4425

clearfieldstudios@earthlink.net

An accomplished cellist, composer and conductor, Ron Clearfield graduated Summa Cum Laude with Bachelors and Masters degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music studying with Brazilian cellist Aldo Parisot and string pedagogues Joseph Silverstein and Leon Barzan. Ron attended the Berkshire Music Festival (Tanglewood) as a fellowship student for two consecutive summers. Ron Clearfield comes from a lineage of gifted musicians. His father was a professional clarinetist who performed with major orchestras through out the United States and Ron’s grandfather, originally from Russia, was a fine pianist and teacher. Ron performs on a beautifully restored French cello made in 1696.

As a cellist, Ron Clearfield was previously a member of the Indianapolis Symphony, the Miami Philharmonic and the Miami Opera Orchestra. He has performed with such pop notables as George Benson, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt and Dionne Warwick as well as with classical luminaries Leonard Bernstein, Erich Leinsdorf, Aaron Copland and Seiji Ozawa. Ron was featured on national TV as solo cellist for the A&E Judy Collins Christmas Special at the Biltmore Estate.

As a composer, he has released three critically acclaimed recordings on the EverSound record label: Dream Manifestation, Time on Earth and most currently Music in the Silence. He was recently interviewed on Public Radio International on a special program featuring his music and has toured the United States performing his music on a national Borders Books tour. He has scored for numerous television and film projects including: Homeward Journey, aired on PBS and the film Opening Doors Within, awarded first prize at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival.

As a conductor, Ron Clearfield studied conducting with Leon Barzan while at the New England Conservatory of Music and continued his studies with Robert Hart Baker, Joseph Eger and Daniel Meyer. Ron has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Blue Ridge Orchestra since 1999 and also Conductor of the Asheville Youth Orchestra since 1994. He served as Associate Conductor with the Miami Beach Sinfonia from 1980-1988. In 2005, Mr. Clearfield was appointed by Joseph Eger as Music Director of the Asheville division of the Symphony for United Nations.  Just recently, Ron was selected as a finalist for the conducting position of the Brevard Philharmonic.

--updated 5-12-07

      for more information
call 828-683-4425 or 828-252-0643