Alyssa Kenney, clarinet and saxophone
Alyssa Kenney is a clarinetist and educator based in the Chicago area. She is currently the principal clarinetist of Symphony847 in Lake Forest, Illinois, and frequently performs throughout Chicagoland on Bb, Eb, and bass clarinet. Notable performances include Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo with the Opera Festival of Chicago, Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with Chicago Nova Opera, and tours of both the East and West Coasts with the World Ballet Company in performances of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. She has also performed with the Evanston Chamber Opera, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra, and the Notos Clarinet Collective.
As an educator, Alyssa is currently on faculty at Near North Montessori, where she leads group classes and private instruction for students ages 9–12. She holds a Master’s degree from DePaul University, where she studied clarinet performance with Julie DeRoche and Michael Rusinek. She previously studied with Paul Demers and Ricardo Morales of the Philadelphia Orchestra while attending Temple University for a Bachelor of Music in clarinet performance.
In addition to her performing career, Alyssa has taught private students for over 14 years and is passionate about helping young musicians grow as confident, independent artists. Her teaching emphasizes problem-solving, individuality, and developing a personal connection to music while building a strong technical foundation.