Jason Shafer

Jason Shafer joined the Colorado Symphony as Principal Clarinet at the start of the 2013-2014 season. Previously, he performed for four years as a fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. He received his Bachelor of Music with Highest Distinction from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied with Kenneth Grant. His other major musical influences include Mark Nuccio, Burt Hara, and Dr. Kyle Coughlin.

Jason has appeared in guest principal roles with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony; he is also Principal Clarinet at the Sun Valley Music Festival, where he has been a regular member since 2012. Abroad, he has performed in Thailand, Austria, Estonia, and Russia. Jason has collaborated in chamber music performances with many distinguished musicians, including Yefim Bronfman, Jessye Norman, Michelle DeYoung, Jeremy Denk, and Paquito D’Rivera; as a concerto soloist, he has performed with the Colorado Symphony, the Sun Valley Music Festival, the New World Symphony, and the Eastman Philharmonia, among others. He is passionate about teaching and is on the faculty of the University of Northern Colorado and the International Festival-Institute at Round Top; he also taught at the Metropolitan State University of Denver from 2015 to 2016.

At the beginning of 2024, Jason completed a master’s degree in Performance Psychology, and is currently in the process of earning the Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) designation through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). In addition to working with performing artist clients, Jason teaches Performance Psychology classes at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Music. He has led many performance psychology masterclasses and workshops, and regularly works one-on-one with performing artist clients from around the globe.