Hi, I’m Adella!

I am a clarinetist, music educator, and arts administrator. Since finishing my MM in 2023, I’ve held a variety of roles: UNCG School of Music Administrative Assistant, Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestras Ensemble Manager, Clarinet and Piano Teacher, Performer, and Social Media Manager.

While I am happiest with a wide array of work opportunities and creative outlets, my ultimate dream has always been to find a balance between pursuing a career I am passionate about and thoroughly living a life I love outside of my work. Now, it is my goal to help other musicians do the same.

My mission is to…

  1. Make new, valuable contributions to the field of music while continuing to grow as an artist

  2. Have time, financial, and creative freedom

  3. Empower other musicians to do the same by providing educational and administrative support and services

What is Adella Carlson Studios?

Adella Carlson Studios is the synthesis of my work as a musician and administrator. AC Studios offers two types of services: The Music Studio and The Musician’s Assistant.

In my music studio, I offer clarinet and piano lessons. I love working with all ages and levels, from beginners, to students considering pursuing music degrees and careers, to adults looking to pick up or maintain playing as a hobby.

With The Musician’s Assistant, I provide administrative support to musicians, particularly those with portfolio careers or small businesses. Whether you’re right out of school trying to figure out how to build an online presence and start a career, or you’ve been at this thing for a while and just have some tasks you’d love to take off your plate, I’m here to help.

Keep scrolling to learn more about all my services.

What I Can Do For You

  • I aim to help young musicians feel confident and free to express themselves through music making.

    In clarinet lessons, students will build a foundation of healthy habits and strong fundamental skills from which to explore their musical interests and accomplish their goals.

    I offer both online and in-studio lessons, at 30, 45, or 60 minutes in length.

  • I aim to help young musicians feel confident and free to express themselves through music making.

    In piano lessons, students will learn and explore the art of music in a safe environment in which to try new things, make mistakes, and celebrate successes.

    I offer both online and in-studio lessons, at 30, 45, or 60 minutes in length.

  • I provide administrative support for musicians by a musician with The Musician’s Assistant.

    I offer a wide array of services, including but not limited to branding, social media management, and website creation in customizable packages to make sure your exact needs are met.

My Full biography

Clarinetist Adella Carlson is a performer and educator passionate about increasing the social relevance and accessibility of contemporary classical music. Actively involved in arts administration, education, and performance, Adella currently holds positions as the UNCG School of Music Administrative Assistant and the Ensemble Manager for the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestras, in addition to teaching a private studio of clarinet and piano students. 

Equally at home in solo, chamber, and large ensemble contexts, Adella is a member of the Chaos Incarné Clarinet Trio and the Piedmont Wind Symphony, and plays regularly with orchestras throughout North Carolina. As a founding member of the Chaos Incarné Trio, which exists to commission and perform works by underrepresented composers, Adella has been invited to play at the American Single Reed Summit, the inaugural HERo Conference, the ICA Low Clarinet Conference, and Clarinetfest. Chaos Incarné was one of the first ensembles to receive the ICA's Loren Kitt Memorial Award, which is given to emerging ensembles demonstrating excellence in chamber music.

As a soloist, Adella enjoys commissioning, performing, and recording new music. Most recently, she commissioned Trojaborg 2 (Ukrainian) (2024) by Svitlana Azarova to raise funds for music students in Ukraine, and premiered this piece at Clarinetfest 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. A 500-hour registered yoga teacher, Adella offers yoga classes for musicians as well as incorporating techniques for maintaining physical and mental wellness into her music pedagogy. Adella’s primary teachers include Christopher Howard, Andy Hudson, and Anthony Taylor.

Adella earned her MM in Clarinet Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Eastern Connecticut State University, graduating summa cum laude from the University Honors Program. As a student at UNCG, Adella was principal clarinetist of the University Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, a Student Manager in the Harold Schiffman Music Library, the Ensemble Manager for the School of Music, and an intern for the Raleigh-based ensemble earspace. During her time at Eastern, Adella won the New England Intercollegiate Band Festival Solo Competition as well as receiving multiple awards from the music department and university, including the 2019 Undergraduate Creative Activity Fellowship and the 2020 Outstanding Honors Thesis Award for her project, “Leonard Bernstein and the Twentieth Century Crisis of Faith.” 

Adella has spent summers at Brevard Music Center and the Philadelphia International Music Festival, studying with Steve Cohen and Ricardo Morales, and interning for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Talcott Mountain Music Festival and the International Clarinet Association.

teaching PHILOSOPHY

I believe that anyone who wants to study music should have access to a holistic music education. In private lessons, I support young musicians in feeling confident and free to express themselves through music making. I help young clarinetists build a foundation of healthy habits and strong fundamental skills from which to explore their musical interests and accomplish their goals, and I help beginning pianists to learn and explore the art of music with a safe environment in which to try new things, make mistakes, and celebrate successes. I believe that in order to see growth and improvement in clarinet or piano playing, you need strong fundamentals, effective practice strategies, and sustainable physical and mental habits. Students studying with me will acquire all of these strengths.

Throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees and beyond, I became used to the balancing act that is a music career in the 21st century. Yes, we have to be excellent at our instruments - but that is only the beginning. Music careers are multi-faceted: we perform, we teach, we own small businesses, we’re administrators. We have to learn to network, to market ourselves, to recruit students, to manage our crazy calendars, to build an online presence…the list goes on. Because I’ve been there and done that, I have nailed down my systems for calendar, file, and email management; my strategies for branding and social media; my policies and procedures for my private studio; and so much more.

With The Musician’s Assistant, I will work with you to identify the areas in which you need the most support, build your custom package of services, and lighten your workload while you grow your career.

Administrative Approach

Ready to talk business?

Use the link below to book time with me for a free consultation for music lessons or Musician’s Assistant support.