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Jason Shafer joined the Colorado Symphony as Principal Clarinet at the start of the 2013-2014 season. Previously, he performed for four years as a fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. He received his Bachelor of Music with Highest Distinction from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied with Kenneth Grant. His other major musical influences include Mark Nuccio, Burt Hara, and Dr. Kyle Coughlin.

Jason has appeared in guest principal roles with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony; he is also Principal Clarinet at the Sun Valley Music Festival, where he has been a regular member since 2012. Abroad, he has performed in Thailand, Austria, Mexico, Estonia, and Russia. Jason has collaborated in chamber music performances with many distinguished musicians, including Yefim Bronfman, Jessye Norman, Michelle DeYoung, Jeremy Denk, and Paquito D’Rivera. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with the Colorado Symphony, the Sun Valley Music Festival, the New World Symphony, and the Eastman Philharmonia, among many others. He is passionate about teaching and is on the faculty of the University of Northern Colorado and the International Festival-Institute at Round Top.

Jason is also passionate about helping performing artists in his role as a performance psychology expert. He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), a national certification earned from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) through a rigorous process and a master’s degree in performance psychology. In addition to working with performing artist clients, Jason teaches Performance Psychology classes at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Music. He has led many performance psychology masterclasses and workshops, including at Juilliard, and regularly works one-on-one as a performance consultant for musicians around the globe.