Close friends and collaborators Mark Dover and Peter Dugan come together in an evening forging their collective musical DNA as both classical artists, and improvisers, spanning the duo rep from the classical canon, the American Songbook, arrangements of popular music standards, and original compositions inspired by jazz and world music.

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About the artist

Grammy® Award-winning clarinetist Mark Dover is a man of many horns, maintaining firm roots

in classical music while ever-expanding into the vast world of improvised music. Since 2016 he

has served as the clarinetist of Imani Winds, and has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta,

Baltimore, and Albany Symphonies, and the American Composers Orchestra. Most recently,

Mark was awarded a Grammy as a player and producer for “Best Classical Compendium” at the

2024 Grammy Awards for Imani Wind’s latest release, “Passion for Bach and Coltrane.” His

debut album with Imani Winds, “Bruits,” was nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small

Ensemble Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

In 2023 Mark also joined the chamber ensemble yMusic. Recent highlights include appearances

at Carnegie Hall Presents with both Imani Winds and yMusic, NPR’s tiny desk with yMusic, and

debuts at La Jolla Music Society and Tippet Rise Arts Center.

Mark joined the chamber music faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021 and also serves

on the clarinet faculty at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and at Queens

College, CUNY.

Mark has an extensive background in improvised music. He is a frequent collaborator with

Vulfpeck, an American funk band formed in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Mark received his Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and his Bachelor of

Music degree from the University of Michigan. He is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Artist.

Peter Dugan prizes versatility as the hallmark of today’s musician and advocates for a classical music culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all. That approach has manifested in a multifaceted and dynamic career as a pianist, composer, collaborator, and radio host.

A musician equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms, he has appeared as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and around the world. His performance of the Ives Fourth Symphony with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas was described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic” and was recorded for release; he repeated the Ives project in a series of four concerts for the Houston Symphony with Andrés Orozco-Estrada. He had previously collaborated with MTT at the New World Symphony, and has made other orchestra appearances with the Kansas City Symphony, New Albany Symphony, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony, and Annapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Peter is heard on radios nationwide weekly as host of NPR’s From the Top. His approach stems from his commitment to sharing classical music through his warm-hearted openness to young voices; and in addition to hosting the show, he leads inspiring collaborations, conversations, and performances with the young artists. Classical Sonoma observed: “Mr. Dugan’s seemingly inexhaustible energy, combined with a dedicated teacher’s heart and musical artistry, is inspiring to observe… That geniality and dynamism translates directly into his music making. One gets the feeling that he is reaching out for that magic, elusive connection. And he succeeds.”

He’s an active and passionate collaborator who has toured extensively with violinists Joshua Bell and Charles Yang, and vocalists John Brancy and Kara Dugan (his wife)—partnerships which have resulted in recording projects, documentaries, music videos, and a first-prize win at the Montreal Competition. He also regularly performs with other friends and artists who share a passion for expanding the world of classical music, from Jesse Colin Young to Renee Fleming to Paquito D’Rivera to Itzhak Perlman.