Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Glass.
Ryan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story, or the story I tell myself, has always been, in one way or another, surrounded by trauma so I, at an early age as possible, sought to dismantle, debunk, challenge, and moreover, fight harder than anything to give myself a chance at a life that embodies some amount of beauty that is meaningful. My parents were alcoholics, but well-intentioned, mostly. I love them and can better understand now that I’m older what that was all about. I started working in restaurants when I was 16 and never left that industry until this year, so it truly has been a long and ongoing journey of understanding and observing people while exploring my own mind to better see our shared human experience. I must say that if anything is taken out of this interview, it’s that most everything I do is because it is felt with this exigent passion.
I was born and raised in the South suburbs of Chicago with my older brother, Christopher. I began my musical journey playing the piano every time my older brother was finished practicing. This started around when I was about three or four years old, however, my mother also played plenty of Mozart throughout her pregnancy so maybe that has something to do with how I ended up here.
At any rate, my parents never gave me piano lessons because they probably knew better. I continued self-teaching myself piano up until I was around ten years old when I began playing clarinet.
I remember when all the instruments were displayed at an assembly I attended in 5th grade. The sole purpose was to introduce every ten-year-old to what these instruments were and what they sounded like. It was my first experience seeing any of them in person and I remember being mesmerized. The second I heard the oboe, I knew that I wanted to study it and figure it out. Yes, that is correct, I said oboe. To this day, I still tell colleagues that the oboe was my first choice; it was just too expensive for me to try out at the time. Dad scored a great Selmer clarinet at the local music shop though, and the rest is history. I am beyond grateful to have grown alongside such a beautiful instrument.
I have been fortunate enough to pursue clarinet in higher education having received my BFA from CalArts in 2015 studying with William Powell, and now embarking on my MM, studying with Boris Allakhverydan at UCLA.
I have continued to and still love writing music. I’ve scored two short independent films: Amusia, written and directed by Eric Presnall and SELLOUT, written and directed by Shawn Ashley.
Last summer was also truly remarkable having had the Music Teachers’ Association of California commission a work of mine for orchestra to featuring the trio I’m in (ACE Trio, feat. Shannon Canchola, flute | Jason Stoll, piano). I greatly anticipate the completion of many future works for orchestra, choir, and solo instruments in the months and years to come.
It’s been one hell of a road (and one hell of a year), but the future is looking bright, VoyageLA!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This has not been an easy path, by any means.
I’m gay and was bullied all throughout high school.
I was hired and fired because of appearance.
I was hired and fired because of my sexuality.
My childhood was pretty chaotic.
My family has very little money.
I’ve worked as a server in restaurants for 16 years before realizing it was ultimately not in my best interest.
I’ve experienced homelessness, loss, addiction, and a global pandemic right along with everyone else.
I don’t know whoever coined the term “smooth road” in its relation to how one should live, but it is so so dangerous. Sure, we are all trying to live on that smooth and stable wave, and it’s wonderful to absorb all the good things so that we can live healthier lives, but I think it’s the most important to be honest.
The greatest moments of what “I” view as success has come from asking really tough questions, processing the answers, and doing my best to act on it. Moving to California from Chicago in 2009 was the biggest moment of this type of processing for me. I knew I wanted to do more, be more, show others my heart, my love, and the importance of connectedness and vulnerability. Everything about my living situation at the time was not conducive to this lifestyle, so I asked the tough questions that kept me there, meditated a little bit on my truth, and packed up my car.
There have been countless more instances that were painfully difficult, primarily all revolving around heartbreak, love, and the result of putting too much of my energy into too many things that aren’t in alignment with what was best for my mind.
I have always been an intensely sensitive person. For every other soul that knows this truth of themselves, they also know the beauty and complexity that comes with being this aware. I would not have changed a single night in which I cried to the point of exhaustion. We are all humans walking around with pain. I remind myself daily to be kind to myself and others; it allows space for EVERYONE to grow.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am primarily a freelance clarinetist and composer, however I’ve also been known to dabble in choreography, flute, and photography. As a clarinetist, I’ve performed with Ariana Grande, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding and am principal clarinet with Opera San Luis Obispo, Lompoc Pops Orchestra, and Valley Opera and Performing Arts. You can hear some of my clarinet playing at www.ryanglassmusic.com/clarinet (be kind, the website is still being added to). All orchestral repertory is my favorite, however being versatile certainly helps in being able to partake in so many exciting and unique opportunities found all over Los Angeles.
As a composer, I’ve written for two short independent films: AMUSIA, written and directed by Eric Presnall, and SELLOUT, written and directed by Shawn Ashley. In the concert realm, I have written two pieces for full orchestra, in addition to a small handful of pieces for string orchestra, and chamber ensembles. Current projects include the editing and revisions on past pieces, recording, and continual conception of an album of original music for dance. You can hear some of my current music at www.ryanglassmusic.com/composition (again, not everything, but perhaps an idea of what I enjoy writing).
Last but not in any way, least: I absolutely love video game music. My older brother always played for my music by Nobuo Uematsu in his bedroom when we were kids, the iconic composer of the Final Fantasy video game series. Those games were so strongly responsible for introducing my ears to the most astonishing wind flourishes, exhilarating string writing, and driving percussive rhythmic elements throughout the entire orchestra. One of my greatest goals is still to meet Nobuo Uematsu and thank him for doing what he does so brilliantly.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Damn. There are two that come to mind immediately.
The first was when I stood in front of an orchestra made up of my undergraduate and graduate peers at CalArts and conducted the piece that was screaming from inside my heart on my Senior Recital at CalArts in 2013.
That damn piece was the culmination of years of emotion and interactions with a special someone put into music. Countless all-nighters were spent in the scoring lab at CalArts and in my apartment; phone calls, text messages, tears, laughter, it was just so much beautiful, but tedious work. Seeing that work transform into tangible expression was the best gift I could have asked for. Watching the musicians internalize their feelings of the music and make it their own was and will always be a very powerful moment in my memory. Last note about this: the pianist on the concert and subsequent YouTube recording is Shane Summers. Shane passed away in 2016 and it really sucks. He spent so much time trying to get just the right nuance in the simplicity of my writing. So yes, I am proud that I pushed myself to create something I felt a deep connection to, but moreover was the experience of something truly cathartic.
Then there was getting a phone call from Tawnee Lynn Music Services asking if I was available to play at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards with Ariana Grande.
I get it. It’s a celebrity, it’s fame, it’s arguably superficial, but for me, it’s more than just that. To me, it was years of fighting against people telling me how to live and how to go about achieving a career. That’s the thing; I think we either directly or indirectly know what we need to individually do to give our selves the best shot. This was undoubtedly one of my proudest moments because more-so than the opportunity, was the undeniable pride that comes with living to the best of my ability in the face of so much distraction. (Not all of which was bad.)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ryanglassmusic.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: ryanglass_clarinet
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ryanglass
Image Credit:
Misra Iltus
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