About Max
Clarinetist
Max Opferkuch plays Second Clarinet and E-flat Clarinet in the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Max grew up in the San Diego area, and was always surrounded by music — his dad is a jazz pianist, and his mom is a university teacher who loves music. Max started playing piano at age 5, then later switched to violin. In 7th grade he joined the middle school band, but quickly realized he couldn’t play the violin, since there are no string instruments in the band. So he picked up the clarinet instead, and he ended up loving it!
In high school, Max took clarinet lessons with Terri Tunnicliff, who was the Second Clarinet of the San Diego Symphony at the time. He played in high school wind ensemble and youth orchestra, and also participated in district and state honor bands. At the end of high school, Max decided to audition for college music programs, and was admitted to the University of Southern California to study clarinet with Michele Zukovsky and Yehuda Gilad. He also spent half a year in Helsinki, Finland at the Sibelius Academy. After college, Max started a graduate program at the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles. During that time, he won the audition for his current job in the San Diego Symphony, his hometown orchestra, and has been playing with them ever since.
In addition to playing in the San Diego Symphony, Max has played clarinet, E-flat clarinet, and bass clarinet with orchestras like the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, and the LA Phil. Max also regularly performs chamber music. When Max isn’t playing in the orchestra, performing, or practicing, he enjoys teaching clarinet, exploring the coffee and food scene in San Diego, going on walks and hikes, and spending time with his friends and loved ones.