Clarinetist José Gómez and pianist Julie Nishimura present a program of familiar favorites and contemporary Colombian clarinet music for the Delaware Clarinet Day 2025 Featured Artist Recital. José Gómez is recognized as one of the most active and sought-after clarinetists on the Latin American music scene, recognized for his versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. He has built an outstanding career as a soloist and chamber musician, while also earning wide recognition for his distinguished pedagogical work. He is a member of La Sociedad Ensamble, Tres Palos Ensamble, Cuarteto de Clarinetes de Bogotá, Ensamble CG, and the Nueva Filarmonía Orchestra. Additionally, he serves as a professor at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas (ASAB), and Universidad Nacional de Colombia, where his students have received awards in prestigious national and international competitions. He is also the founder of the Bogotá International Clarinet Festival, Claribogotá. José has performed recitals, concerts, and masterclasses in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, and the United States. He has served as assistant principal clarinetist of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín, guest principal clarinetist of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, and has collaborated with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, the Pittsburgh Opera Theater Orchestra, and the Banda Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, among others. His discography includes recordings dedicated to the works of composers from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Universidad Distrital, as well as productions for the Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, Ensamble CG, Cuarteto de Clarinetes de Bogotá, and the Nueva Filarmonía Orchestra, with which he won a Latin Grammy Award in 2019 for Best Classical Album. His entrepreneurial and creative spirit led him to record his first solo album, featuring unpublished works by Colombian composers, in collaboration with pianist Diego Claros. The album is set to be released in 2025. José Gómez holds a Master of Music degree and an Artist Diploma from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh (USA), a Specialization in Performance from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Salamanca (Spain), and a Bachelor’s degree from the Conservatory of Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá. Born in Popayán-Colombia, he began his musical training at an early age under the guidance of his father, Javier Gómez, and in the Timbío-Cauca Wind Band, directed by Maestro Manuel Collazos. José Gómez is an artist of the prestigious French brand Buffet-Crampon. Pianist Julie Nishimura was the University of Delaware School of Music’s Faculty Accompanist for 31 years, having performed over 600 recitals, chamber music concerts and opera performances, and, in addition, teaching the Accompanying Classes. During that time, she was also a Staff Collaborative Artist for Philadelphia’s Strings International Music Festival, now Philadelphia International Music Festival, and, for 20 years, San Francisco-based California Summer Music. Since retirement, she has stayed active as a freelance collaborative artist, enjoying a variety of projects, including work as a rehearsal pianist for Berkeley’s West Edge Opera and Wilmington’s Opera Delaware; guest artist for the Gold Coast Chamber Players and The Allegheny Ensemble; and Faculty Pianist at Ohio’s Encore Chamber Music Institute since 2022. She can often be seen jumping in at the last minute for rehearsals and recitals! For over twenty years she has been Artistic Director for Wilmington, Delaware’s non-profit, Distant Voices Touring Theatre, which she started with her late husband Danny Peak, performing a theatrical show underscored with piano music about her father’s time in the Japanese American Concentration Camps of WWII. Julie has enjoyed recording projects with friends Denise Tryon, horn; Christopher Nichols, clarinet; Sheila Browne, viola; and can be heard on the Bridge, Albany and Navona labels. Currently, she divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area, playing in The Class Act Big Band, Classical Revolution SF, and in coffee shops as “Classical Lites with Jewels”, and the East Coast.