Celeste Case-Ruchala

Celeste Case-Ruchala is a clarinetist and educator with a Doctor of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance from Arizona State University. She also holds degrees in clarinet performance from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and the University of Nebraska. Celeste has performed in orchestral, chamber, and musical theater settings and can occasionally be heard performing as a substitute musician with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches as a Teaching Artist with Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO). Celeste loves the clarinet for its remarkable range and its ability to emulate the expressiveness of the human voice. She especially enjoys exploring the instrument’s unconventional side through extended techniques such as multiphonics, circular breathing, and the many strange and wonderful sounds the clarinet is capable of producing. As a teacher, she encourages students to build strong fundamentals while developing their own musical voice, curiosity, and confidence as performers.