The New York Times calls Esther Lamneck “an astonishing virtuoso.” Winner of the prestigious Pro Musicis Award, she has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras, with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, and with renowned chamber music artists and music improvisors throughout the world. A versatile performer and an advocate of contemporary music, she is known for her work with electronic media including interactive arts, movement, dance and improvisation. Ms. Lamneck makes frequent solo appearances at music festivals worldwide and maintains an active solo career performing and presenting masterclasses in universities and conservatories throughout the United States and Europe. As an artist who is sought after by the leading composers of our times, her collaborations have led to hundreds of new compositions in many genres including solo works for the new music ensembles she directs, the clarinet and the tárogató.

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Esther Lamneck is known for her performances on the Hungarian Tárogató, a single reed woodwind instrument with a hauntingly beautiful sound. The instrument's aural tradition has led her to perform it almost exclusively in new music improvisation settings where she is recognized for her collaborative work with composers on both the clarinet and the tárogató. Dr. Lamneck received her B.Mus., M.Mus. and Doctoral degrees from the Juilliard School of Music where she was a clarinet student of Stanley Drucker. Other teachers have included Robert Listokin and Rudolf Jettel. She currently serves as Program Director of Woodwind Studies and the Clarinet Studio at New York University. She is artistic director of the NYU New Music and Dance Ensemble, an improvising flexible group which works in electronic settings using both fixed media and real time sound and video processing. Ms. Lamneck has worked together with choreographer Douglas Dunn for many years creating multimedia productions for Festivals in the U.S. and Italy.

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