Sidney Forrest

Sidney Forrest’s landmark recordings of Weber’s Gran Duo Concertante (with pianist Leonid Hambro), Hindemith’s Sonata and Berg’s Four Pieces, (both with pianist Benjamin Tupas), Mozart’s Quintet (with the Galimir String Quartet) and Trio (with Carlton Cooley and Erno Balogh), and the Brahms Trio (with Bernard Greenhouse and Erno Balogh) are still highly prized.

As a highly esteemed teacher, Sidney Forrest was most notably professor of clarinet at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University from 1946 to 1985, and for 45 summers (1959–2004) he was a member of the faculty at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.  He also taught for 50 years at the Catholic University of America and served on the faculty of American University.  In the latter years of his career, he served on the faculty of the Levine School in Washington. As evidence of his success, his former students have taken major orchestral positions in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Boston, Cincinnati, Columbus, Baltimore, Memphis, Stuttgart, London, and Paris.

Numerous solo and chamber performances featuring Sidney Forrest took place at such venues as the Library of Congress, the Phillips Collection, and the National Gallery in Washington, as well as many other places throughout the country.  One very special occasion was when he performed Copland's landmark Clarinet Concerto with the composer as conductor, at the Pan American Union in Washington.

Mr. Forrest was also a valued clinician/adjudicator, judging and presenting master classes throughout this country and in Canada, and serving as a juror for the United States Fulbright Commission.  He published numerous arrangements of music for the clarinet, and regularly contributed articles to various woodwind journals. He was actively teaching until his death just before his 95th birthday.