BIOGRAPHY

Jack Kartsotis is a versatile clarinetist and educator based in Chicago, Illinois. With a wide-ranging performance background that spans orchestras, wind ensembles, chamber music, and solo appearances, Jack has built a multifaceted career as both a skilled performer and dedicated teacher. As a freelance musician, he has performed across the U.S. in pops concerts, new music premiers, and recording projects. As a teacher, his students have excelled in prestigious national auditions, including the Blue Lake Fine Arts Academy, ICA (International Clarinet Association), and ILMEA (Illinois Music Educator Association). Recently, his students and have been accepted to the University of Alabama, Ohio State, Pennsylvania State, University of Illinois, Illinois Wesleyan, and Northern Illinois University.

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Jack currently holds the position of Principal Clarinet with the Owensboro Symphony in Kentucky, where he performed in the Emmy-nominated “Night at the Oscars” production, broadcast nationally on PBS. In Chicago, Jack maintains a private studio of clarinet students, while also serving as a Program Coordinator and Clarinet Teaching Artist at The People’s Music School, a non-profit that provides tuition-free music education in underserved communities. For his work there, Jack received the “Excellence in Teaching Artistry” award two years in a row, and his students consistently earn top honors in the program.

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Jack holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacob’s School of Music. His primary teachers include Howard Klug, Daryl Coad, and Rahni Kennedy.