About Ashley Hsu
Clarinetist and Maryland native Ashley Hsu is a musical artist and educator entangled within the worlds of jazz and classical music. Through her clarinet, she serenades audiences playing everything from trad and early swing jazz, baroque and contemporary classical music with the goal to expand her and her audiences’ perceptions of these respective music genres. For her performances, she seeks out lesser-known and rarely recorded compositions to interpret and breathe new life into those musical pieces that have been neglected and hidden from audiences and performers alike.
With multiple competitions and awards under her belt, Hsu is finishing up her Master’s degree at the University of Maryland, where she works as a student archivist for the International Clarinet Association archives. In addition to performing, she is also a passionate music educator, teaching and mentoring students of all ages and instruments in local music schools and programs. Other than teaching at the Kentlands School of Music, in her private studio, and at the International School of Music, she also helps out as an assistant at Paul Carr’s Jazz Academy of Music jazz ensemble programs and is the clarinetist/vocalist in the Capital Focus Jazz Band. Besides performing and teaching music, Ashley enjoys biking, folding origami, and photography.
