Asher Carlson is a clarinetist, bass clarinetist, teacher, and arranger from Leland, MI. An active orchestral and chamber musician, his musical pursuits have taken him on tours of the continental United States, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Italy, Ireland, and Kenya. As well as performing alongside such highly-esteemed musicians as Lynn Harrell, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Sqwonk, Nairobi Chamber Chorus, New York Voices, The Swingle Singers, Pentatonix, and The Wailers, Asher is an active new music collaborator and has commissioned dozens of new solo and chamber works for clarinet and bass clarinet. He currently holds positions as Principal Clarinetist of the Venice Symphony in Venice, Florida, Principal Bass Clarinetist of the Tallahassee Symphony in Tallahassee, Florida, and performs with the Candlelight Processional Orchestra at Walt Disney World. Asher also performs as a guest clarinetist with orchestras across the country and has served as Associate Bass Clarinetist of the Sarasota Opera , St. Pete Opera, and Artosphere Festival (AR) orchestras.

 

Across the state of Florida and beyond, Carlson has proven to be a sought-after clinician and private instructor. He has been featured as a clinician and performer at Clarinetfest in 2017 (Orlando, FL), 2018 (Ostend, Belgium), 2022 (Reno, NV), and 2023 (Denver, CO), the 2018 Belgian Clarinet Academy in Ostend, Belgium, the Suncoast Music Education Research Symposium XIII (2020, Virtual) and XIV (2023, Hybrid), and the International Society for Music Educators Conference in 2022 (Virtual). Carlson teaches on the faculties of the the University of South Florida, State College of Florida, and the annual Interlochen Clarinet Institute at the Interlochen Center for the Arts (MI). His students continue to champion professional auditions, attend prestigious international summer festivals, and be accepted to and win scholarships from prestigious music schools across the country.

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Additionally, Carlson's voice work has been featured in performances as a vocalist, narrator, and on his podcast The Chamber Pod. His tenure with the all-male a cappella group Reverb garnered prestigious awards from the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, the A Cappella Music Awards, and the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Recent performances include his tenure as bass of the award-winning barbershop quartet Smash Hit! and as bass section leader of the internationally acclaimed Heralds of Harmony barbershop chorus in Tampa, FL. You may have also seen Carlson take to the stage as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music, and as Private Investigator Harold Norman in the original cast of Murder at the Jazz Club. He received the 2025 Broadway World Tampa Award for his portrayal of Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.

 

Carlson holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the Florida State University, where he studied under Frank Kowalsky and Deborah Bish, and a Master's Degree in Music Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he studied under Anthony Taylor and Kelly Burke. He is currently ABD, pursuing his PhD in Music Education with a cognate in clarinet performance from the University of South Florida. He can be heard on several recordings with the FSU Wind Orchestra, the UNCG Wind Ensemble, Reverb, the Oraia Reed Quintet (of which he is a founding member), the Venice Symphony, and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.