Available October 15, 2025 via Etcetera Records
Internationally acclaimed clarinettist Nancy Braithwaite’s second recording, Wonderings and Other Revelations, showcases works by contemporary Dutch and American composers. Joining Braithwaite are Claron McFadden, soprano; Ernst Munneke, piano; Matthias Naegele, cello; Vaughan Schlepp, piano; Michael Stirling, cello; Bas Verheijden, piano; Amarins Wierdsma, violin; Joost Willemze, harp; and Richard Wolfe, viola
“I’m absolutely charmed by this album – it radiates a deep personal love for the music, for the composers, and for the sheer joy of playing which shines throughout. And what discoveries this album contains!” – Peter van Nes, NPO Klassiek, The Netherlands
“Braithwaite plays the clarinet magnificently… A truly gorgeous record, a discovery.” – Carel den Hertog, NPO Klassiek, The Netherlands
“Wonderings and Other Revelations is the apt title for clarinettist Nancy Braithwaite’s second album for the Dutch/Belgian label Etcetera. Whereas the first (To Paradise for Onions, 2019), was an overdue exploration of the work of the then 92-year-old American composer Edith Hemenway, this new release casts the net wider and represents a broader picture, including several works which Braithwaite herself – also the producer of the album – has either commissioned or inspired….The recording is superb…and the booklet, with all the song texts and much else included, has been carefully, thoughtfully, lovingly assembled.” – Sebastian Scotney, The Arts Desk
The new album by acclaimed clarinettist Nancy Braithwaite features striking new compositions written especially for her by leading Dutch and American composers. Wonderings and Other Revelations (out October 15, 2025 via Etcetera Records) showcases Braithwaite, an American-born musician based in the Netherlands, in works by three Dutch composers – Carlos Micháns, Oane Wierdsma, and Willem Wander van Nieuwkerk – and two American composers – Edith Hemenway and Thomas Oboe Lee. Braithwaite has enjoyed long-standing artistic relationships with each composer, and, aside from the Micháns, every piece which includes the clarinet was written specifically for her and her ensembles.
“This CD is a reflection of my deep commitment to performing music by living composers and of my personal connection to five remarkable composers from the United States and The Netherlands, my two home countries,” says Braithwaite, who shares long and rich history with each of the composers. “It was born out of a desire to share their extraordinary music with a broader audience and to celebrate the rich and diverse creative voices I’ve had the privilege to collaborate with over the years.”
Joining Braithwaite is a lineup of outstanding international soloists, all based in The Netherlands: Claron McFadden, soprano; Ernst Munneke, piano; Matthias Naegele, cello; Vaughan Schlepp, piano; Michael (Mick) Stirling, cello; Bas Verheijden, piano; Amarins Wierdsma, violin; Joost Willemze, harp; Richard Wolfe, viola.
Micháns’ “Fünf Kommentare zu ‘Ich ruf zu dir…” opens the album with a wistful dialogue between Braithwaite’s elegant clarinet and Williemze’s luscious harp. While the piece is the only clarinet work on the album not written expressly with Braithwaite in mind, it continues a relationship between composer and musician that has flourished over more than 40 years, since they met while both were students at the Utrecht Conservatory of The Netherlands.
“The Voyage of the Owl and the Pussycat” by Hemenway, another longstanding collaborator, follows – a three-movement sonic journey inspired by the Edward Lear poem of the same title, with Braithwaite, Stirling on cello, and Schlepp on piano. The latter two continue for the title track, Hemenway’s “Wonderings”, a stirring, thoughtful piece for cello and piano that brings to mind images of Rodin’s “The Thinker.” Vocal works by Hemenway follow with “Caged Bird” for soprano, clarinet and piano set to the poem by Maya Angelous and six songs for soprano and piano, two of which were written in 2018 especially for the rich and clear voice of soprano Claron McFadden, who shines in these works.
Thomas Oboe Lee’s “Yo Picasso” features five movements inspired by paintings by Picasso exquisitely performed by Braithwaite, Wolfe on viola, Naegele on cello, and Munneke on piano. In Wierdsma’s Sonata for Clarinet Solo, Op. 12, Braithwaite displays virtuosic technique, crystalline tone, and exceptional artistry. The work draws added potency from the fact that Wierdsma and Braithwaite were partners in life and music until the composer’s passing in 2008. Van Nieuwkerk’s “Come, Shepherds, Deck Your Heads” for violin, clarinet, and piano closes the album with spirit and vivacity. Family brought composer and clarinetist together, as their daughters performed together in a youth string ensemble. Braithwaite’s daughter, violinist Amarins Wierdsma joins her on this recording.
Braithwaite’s Wonderings and Other Revelations reveals a multi-faceted artist who unites virtuosic technique, profound emotional expression, and a venturesome dedication to exploring new music. The clarinetist is strongly committed to embracing and nurturing extraordinary works by vital living composers and creating powerful, essential music that will stand the test of time.
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© Maarten van der Kamp
Internationally renowned clarinetist and educator Nancy Braithwaite has performed throughout the USA, Europe, and China. She has a chamber music repertoire encompassing more than 300 works and has performed as soloist with orchestra in concertos by Mozart, Nielsen, von Weber, and Rossini. Braithwaite graduated from Eastman School of Music with the highest distinction, the Performers Certificate, and continued her studies in Chicago, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Her teachers include Stanley Hasty, Robert Marcellus, Larry Combs, and Walter Boeykens. At the age of 23 she won the position of principal clarinetist with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra and in that period participated in summer festivals in Spoleto (Italy), Maine (USA), and Tanglewood (USA). From 1988 – 2021 she served as professor of clarinet and chamber music at the Rotterdam Conservatory in The Netherlands. Braithwaite is artistic director of the series “Kromme Rijn Concerten” in Bunnik, The Netherlands, which she founded with the Arto Ensemble in 1996. She is also a member of and artistic director of the Rietveld Ensemble, which performs chamber music concerts in the Rietveld Ensemble and Friends concert series in Utrecht. In demand internationally as an educator, Braithwaite has taught master classes in China, South Korea, and Spain, and has adjudicated for clarinet competitions in London and Beijing. For years she has been associated with American composers Edith Hemenway and Thomas Oboe Lee, both of whom have written for her extensively. She has recorded some of these works, including a CD of compositions by Edith Hemenway, To Paradise for Onions, on Etcetera Records. Braithwaite endorses the Uebel Superior clarinets and is a member of the Silverstein ligature Inspiring Pro team.