Clarinetist Stanley Drucker retires from NY Philharmonic

by Bill Morelock, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Tuesday night, clarinetist Stanley Drucker performs with the New York Philharmonic.

That's not news. Mr. Drucker has played with the orchestra literally thousands of times.

What's special about this concert -- as he stands in front of the orchestra for an old favorite, the Copland Concerto -- is that it marks the end of that tenure. At 80, Stanley Drucker is retiring after 60 years playing with the New York Philharmonic.

The Brooklyn native took the time after a rehearsal to talk with us about Copland, his career with his hometown orchestra, and what comes next.

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Tune in to American Public Media's Performance Today on Monday to hear Drucker play the Copeland Concerto with the New York Philharmonic and conductor Leonard Bernstein.