Biography
Barret Ham, a native of Macon, Georgia, joined the New York Philharmonic as clarinet / bass clarinet in the 2023–24 season. He previously served as acting second clarinet / bass clarinet for the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra for three seasons, and has performed as a guest musician with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and The Cleveland Orchestra, as well as the Boston, Dallas, and Utah symphony orchestras. Recent summer festival appearances include Yellow Barn, the Lucerne Festival Academy, and Spoleto Festival USA. An avid chamber musician, Ham has performed for Tertulia San Francisco and as a guest with the Borromeo String Quartet. He has worked directly with composers such as Shulamit Ran, Jörg Widmann, Brett Dean, and Enno Poppe, and is a proponent of the works of living composers. Ham received his bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory and is pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Southern California. His primary teachers include Michael Wayne and Yehuda Gilad.