David Abrams
 
I wear several hats in my line of work, each bearing a logo that has something to do with music. 

Many in Central New York see the hat of a classical music reviewer, one who had served as a critic and columnist with The Post-Standard from 1992 to 2008.  During this time I earned nine Syracuse Press Club awards, open to 21 counties in Central and Northern NY, including first-place (“Best in Category") awards in the categories of Critiques, Best Human Interest Story and the Robert Haggart Memorial Award for Best Daily Newspaper Column.  I currently author a regular column in the Eagle Newspapers called Music Matters, which carries my classical music reviews of events around and beyond Central New York.

Others in the CNY community see the hat of a music professor who teaches music history, ear training, clarinet and saxophone, and serves as Chairperson of the Onondaga Community College Music Department.   During the course of my three decades here at Onondaga, 15 years of which I had also taught clarinet at Syracuse Universtiy,  I've enjoyed seeing my best students graduate from some of the finest music schools and conservatories in the world, including the Eastman School of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music.  Several of my students currently hold positions in major symphony orchestras (including the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra), and on faculties of prominent universities across the country. 

Last but not least, I wear the hat of a clarinetist who keeps active as a performing artist through recitals and chamber music performances, including collaborations with the Society for New Music and chamber ensembles such as the  Cassatt String Quartet.  My past orchestral experience includes appointments with the Rochester Philharmonic and Syracuse Symphony Orchestras.
    
With the exception for a two-year appointment at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, I've been a New Yorker my entire life: I grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from the High School of Music & Art in Manhattan and then the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, where I received my bachelor's, master's and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Performance and Literature.
 
My life outside of music includes labor relations activities at my college, where I serve as Grievance Officer for the Onondaga Community College Federation of Teachers and Administrators (OCCFTA).  Whatever time may be left in the day I’m happy to devote to two great passions: chess (which consumes far too much of my time), and Mozart operas (for which there can never be sufficient time). 

I live in Camillus with my wife, Cheryl, a member of the Communications Department at Crouse Hospital (Syracuse, NY), and our incorrigible miniature schnauzer, Teddy (shown here this past Halloween cast as a lady bug).

DA