Michele Verheul – Principal Clarinet
March 2008 - Nicole Laidler

Michele Verheul loves playing contemporary music. Before joining Orchestra London as principal clarinet in 2003, she spent 15 years in Toronto freelancing with various New Music ensembles including Hemispheres – a 15-member big band whose members were both jazz and classical players. “That was the craziest thing that I did,” says Verheul. “There was a lot of free improvisation.”

As a soloist and member of the Riot Trio, Verheul commissioned works from Canadian composers like James Tenney and Sergio Barroso. So it comes as no surprise when Verheul says her favourite Orchestra London concert series is Discovery, which is dedicated to 20th century repertoire.

“New music is alive,” she says, explaining her passion for contemporary composition. “All music is alive, of course, we bring life to it. But it’s really interesting to work with something that is newly composed because you never know what you’re going to get. It can be extremely challenging.”

Verheul – a classically trained musician who holds a master’s degree from the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. – won her position with Orchestra London after deciding that she wanted to explore her instrument’s more traditional, classical repertoire.

“I thought it might be nice to play in an orchestra for a while,” she says. “And I like working in the orchestra because it gives me the opportunity to play this great repertoire and work in a group.”

Despite her passion for playing classical and contemporary repertoire, Verheul names Bach as her favourite composer. “I listen to a lot of baroque music, probably because that’s not an era that used the clarinet,” she laughs.

And if she’s not listening to Bach, then chances are there’s world or gypsy music coming from the CD player, courtesy of Verheul’s husband, klezmer clarinetist Martin van de Ven.
Van de Ven’s career takes him on frequent trips to Europe, especially in the summer months. “During the year he’s home a lot while I’m working. We try to share the work-family balance,” says Verheul.

The couple, their 12-year-old son and dog, Max, moved to London in 2005. “After living in Toronto, London is quite nice,” says Verheul. The family enjoys walks along the Thames River, but misses some of the cultural activities available in the big city. “I don’t know if that’s because there’s not as much happening here or because I’m really busy with Orchestra London,” she says. “But I do feel fortunate to have this setup to play in.”

Photo by Michael Dismatsek