About the Podcast
The Candid Clarinetist podcast features interviews, performances, reviews, and panel discussions with leaders in the world of clarinet and professional orchestras. Host, writer, producer, and founder Sam Rothstein created this podcast in the Summer of 2020 as a response to the thirst for knowledge about our incredibly enigmatic profession. When he was a student, he often found himself wondering what it would be like to be a musician in a full time orchestra. How much do they practice? How do they have time for their families? What equipment do they play on? Do they have any hobbies? As his career has progressed, he has found that people who work in the orchestra industry are really no different than anyone else. Sam’s goal with this podcast is three-fold:
1.To provide students and aspiring professional musicians with incredible resources and insight in to the daily lives of people in all aspects of the industry
To tell the stories of the many incredible people that make up our profession
To bring people who aren’t musicians a first hand account of what it is like to be a musician (spoiler: it’s not like Mozart in the Jungle…..sort of)
This truly is a podcast for anyone and everyone, and we hope that you will join us as he explores the lives both on and off the stage of the world's top orchestral players, clarinet industry leaders, educators, artistic administrators, and everyone in between.
The Creative Team
Sam Rothstein, Host, Producer, Founder
Sam Rothstein is currently Assistant Principal Clarinet and Bass Clarinet with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra since 2015. He also served as Acting Principal Clarinet with the ISO from 2020-2025. Prior to his appointment in Indianapolis, he was a member of the Richmond Symphony (VA) and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
An in demand orchestral clarinetist and bass clarinetist, Sam has performed as a guest with the Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Grant Park Orchestra, and the Virginia Symphony. He has appeared as Guest Principal Clarinet with the St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Summer festival appearances include the Bravo Vail Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA and the Tanglewood Music Center, where he was also a member of the New Fromm Players.
As an educator, Sam has been visiting faculty with the New World Symphony and has presented masterclasses at Northwestern, UNC-Greensboro, Ball State, Miami (OH), Butler, Oakland, IU Fort Wayne and the Digital Clarinet Academy. Sam is the creator, producer and host of the Candid Clarinetist podcast, which has amassed over 20,000 lifetime downloads.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and considers J. Lawrie Bloom, Steve Cohen, and Michael Wayne his primary teachers and mentors.