FRANKLIN COHEN, principal clarinet of the Cleveland Orchestra since 1976, will retire from the orchestra in the summer of 2015, when he will be honored with the title principal clarinet emeritus. A native New Yorker, and the first clarinetist to win the International Munich Competition (in 1968), Cohen was named to his Cleveland Orchestra by then-Music Director Lorin Maazel. He has appeared with the orchestra more than 200 times as a concerto soloist. Following his retirement from the orchestra Cohen intends to expand his career as a soloist and collaborative artist, in addition to mentoring young musicians. With his daughter Diana Cohen, a violinist, he will continue to serve as co-artistic director of ChamberFest Cleveland.
Posted January 6, 2015
