Yehuda Gilad is a global performer, conductor and educator. His many awards include Musical America’s Top 30 Influencers of 2015 as well as the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Ramo Award, and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. He is co-founder of the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he is the Music Director of its orchestra and clarinet professor, in addition to Head of Clarinet Studies at USC. He is one of the most sought-after clarinet teachers in the world, and gives performances, masterclasses and educational lectures around the globe. He has performed at many renowned festivals including the Marlboro Festival and founded his own such as the Malibu Strawberry Creek Music Festival. He has been a featured artist for many masterclass seminars hosted by Play with a Pro, Buffet Crampon and Vandoren, and his interviews are broadcasted on many radio and tv stations and online platforms internationally. His work passionately extends to the communities he serves through his participation and support of the national Make-A-Wish Foundation and other organizations. As the Music Director of the Colonial Symphony, Gilad elevated its orchestra into one of New Jersey’s artistic trendsetters at its time not only by his “strong imaginative programming,” but by also transforming the symphony into a teaching orchestra by educating local high school students, as lauded by the New York Times. As an incredibly esteemed pedagogue, Gilad combines his performance, teaching and conducting experience into a unique approach of “total musicianship,” where he focuses on the human side of musicianship and finding one’s voice through the instrument.