Berginald Rash | Clarinet

Hailed for his ‘especially stylish’ playing (The Guardian) and celebrated for his “nimble athleticism” (The Arts Desk), acclaimed American-Irish clarinetist and period clarinet practitioner Berginald Rash is an exciting international artist having performed at the Boyne Music Festival and Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival, and having won the Dublin International Chamber Music Festival's 2015 Support Act Residency with the Mondrian Trio. Based in Dublin, Ireland, he was awarded the Recital Artist Diploma from the Royal Irish Academy of Music where he was an 1848 Scholar and Teaching Fellow. A versatile and skilled pedagogue and clinician, he has served on the PRIZM Music Camp & International Chamber Music Festival faculty and has given masterclasses at Truman State University, University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point, University of Kansas, Millikin University, and Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music. Mr. Rash has been heard with such orchestras as the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan, the Virginia Symphony, Chineke! Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra, and has performed on BBC 3’s In Tune with Sean Rafferty. Berginald has been heard at such festivals as the BBC Proms, Lucerne Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Snape Maltings Proms, Gent Festival Van Vlaanderen, Leeds International Concert Series; and at such concert halls as the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth and Royal Festival Halls, Elbphilharmonie, National Concert Hall in Dublin, Kölner Philharmonie and the Concertgebouw. 

Comfortable as both a chamber musician and soloist, Mr. Rash has collaborated with members of such orchestras as London's Philharmonia Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt hr-Sinfonieorchester, Atlanta Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and with the ConTempo Quartet. He has been a featured concerto soloist at the National Concert Hall and Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. With harpist Fiona Gryson, Berginald performed as part of the online ‘Sundays @ Noon’ concert series at the Hugh Lane Gallery which was also featured on NearTV FM and at Kaleidoscope Night music series. Berginald has been featured on the cover of the International Clarinet Association’s (ICA) September 2020 publication of The Clarinet with clarinetist Mariam Adam. 

He is a former member of the ICA's Social Media committee with whom he and clarinetist Dr. Sarah Manasreh host the video blog series, "Clarinet & Community". Mr. Rash is a TEDx speaker, was featured on Classically Black Podcast's “Black Excellence” segment, has been featured on the European Association of Conservatoires’ (AEC) Strengthening Music in Society podcast series, and has been a reviewer for BBC Radio 3's Record Review, a presenter on BBC Radio 3's Inside Music, presented a three-part docu-series on BBC Radio 3 entitled "The American Clarinet", and a contributor on BBC Radio 4's How to Play. He has been featured on RTÉ lyric FM's Full Score with Liz Nolan and Aedín in the Afternoon where he along with his duo partner, harpist Fiona Gryson, shared their critically acclaimed debut album, Dathanna: Hues and Shades. Since 2022 served as the voice of RTÉ lyric FM's Black History Month.

Named a 2024 “Tastemaker” (Business Post), Berginald has been awarded the Arts Council of Ireland’s 2020 & 2022 Music Bursary as well as a 2021 Arts Council Agility Award. In 2022, Berginald began his journey into historical clarinet with Marie Ross and Katherine “Waffy” Spencer and served on the faculty of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA Institute. In May 2024 Mr. Rash made his solo debut with RTÉ Concert Orchestra for RTÉ lyric FM’s live streamed 25th Anniversary Gala. That same month he launched his five-part chamber music series at the National Concert Hall entitled, From Antiquity to Modernity. In addition to his curatorial work at the National Concert Hall, Mr. Rash curated Berginald presents Bombast! as part of New Music Dublin's 2025 season; fractured rhapsody by invitation of Dublin-based new music collective, Kirkos; and has, by invitation of composer Ann Cleare, guest lectured at Trinity College Dublin on his curatorial practice.

Informed by lived experience and critical research in the field of arts and culture, Mr. Rash advocates and consults in the areas of justice, equality/equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. In this capacity he has worked with the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Contemporary Music Centre Ireland, and has spoken as both a panelist and keynote speaker at the Compear Global Education Network with whom he is a founding member and consultant, Sphinx Organization and Accenture respectively. A Devon & Burgani artist, Berginald served on the Board of Directors for Dublin-based Crash Ensemble and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Chamber Music Scotland.

Please note that this biography is not to be used for programs. Current biographical information is available upon request.