Soren Green

Historical Clarinet Maker

Soren began his musical studies in Washington D.C. at the age of 8, taking up clarinet at the age of 11. After secondary school he tried to give up music to study mechanical engineering at Stanford University, but was unsuccessful.

He began to play clarinet again and joined the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and was principal clarinet during their tour of China. Soren went on to graduate from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and became a freelance clarinetist and teacher in San Francisco. He was a member of the faculty at the San Francisco Community Music Center and free-lancer with local orchestras when a chance encounter with a 215-year-old anonymous five key clarinet from Dresden changed his career path once again. The attraction of the early clarinet proved irresistible and within a few years Soren had moved to The Hague to study with Eric Hoeprich.

Instrument making soon followed, with instruction from both Eric and Paul Beekhuizen. By the time he reached Master’s studies, Soren was performing exclusively on instruments of his own construction and after graduation the research and experimentation only intensified. Soren Green Historical Wind Instruments was established in 2011 and now produces Clarinets, Basset horns and Chalumeaux faithful to the spirit of the original eightennth and nineteenth century instruments.

My work is inspired by the beauty and perfection of the original instruments I copy. They are works of art ideally suited to play the music of their time. Meticulous examination and research, as well as dedicated practice and performance inform my recreations of the clarinets, basset horns, and chalumeaux played during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

With a musical upbringing, engineering studies at Stanford University, clarinet studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and early music studies under Eric Hoeprich at the Royal Conservatoire in the Hague, I bring a unique combination of skills and experience to building instruments.

My instruments meet the needs of the most demanding professional, remain faithful to the originals, and are beautiful to the ear and eye. I specialize in instruments based on original examples from the finest makers of the Golden Age of the clarinet including Theodor Lotz, Raymond Griesbacher, and Griessling & Schlott. The instruments I build are practical and reliable, as well as easy and comfortable for the performer. Historical instruments are a joy to play and build.