Darkson Magrinelli Rocha
Adjunct Professor; Director of Woodwinds and Clarinet Instructor
Darkson Magrinelli, DMA, is a Brazilian clarinetist, educator, and internationally recognized performer with a professional career spanning more than twenty years. He currently serves as director of woodwinds and clarinet instructor at Azusa Pacific University, as well as a remote faculty member for the Adult Degree Completion Program at Western Colorado University. His academic appointments have included East Tennessee State University, Shaw University, Fullerton College, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he served as a teaching assistant. As a clinician and pedagogue, Magrinelli has taught and performed across South America, North America, and Europe, and was on faculty at the Festival Internacional de Música Guaranda in Ecuador.
A versatile and expressive performer, Magrinelli has held orchestral positions in both Brazil and the United States. He served as second and bass clarinetist with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra for four seasons and has performed as principal clarinet with Greensboro Symphony, Greensboro Opera, Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, and the North Carolina Chamber Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Winston-Salem Symphony and multiple orchestras throughout Brazil. His chamber collaborations have included performances with celebrated artists such as cellist Lynn Harrell, and he has been featured as a soloist in concerts across the Americas. Highlights of his performance career include appearances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Convention Centre in Dublin, Ireland.
Magrinelli is widely respected for his musicianship and artistry. Clarinetist Michele Zukovsky, former principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, described him as “a superb clarinetist who always plays in the service of the music” and “one of the very best students” she ever taught. Composer Frank Ticheli similarly praised his interpretation of Blue Shades as “one of the best performances” of the clarinet solo that he has heard. Magrinelli holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, an Artist Certificate and Master of Music degree from Azusa Pacific University, a bachelor’s degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and a clarinet diploma from Conservatório Pablo Komlós. His principal teachers include Michele Zukovsky, Kelly Burke, and Diego Grendene. He is a Henri SELMER Paris Performing Artist and performs exclusively on Selmer Privilège clarinets.
Education
- DMA, Clarinet Performance, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- MM, Clarinet Performance, Azusa Pacific University
- BM, Clarinet Performance, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Credentials/Certifications
- Artist Certificate, Clarinet Performance, Azusa Pacific University
- Clarinet Diploma, Conservatório Pablo Komlós
Academic Area
- School of the Arts
Expertise
- World Music Studies
- Clarinet Performance
Courses Taught
- MUS 1W2 – Applied Woodwinds
- MUS 120 – Music Fundamentals
- MUS 201 – World Music
- MUS 210 – Performance Forum
- MUS 255 – Chamber Music
- MUS 440 – Instrumental Pedagogy
- MUS 452 – Music Literature
- MUS 520 – Applied Instruction
- MUS 525 – Chamber Music