Dennis Nygren was Professor of Clarinet at Kent State University from 1983 to 2012. Prior to this he taught at Northern Michigan University (1973-1983), and served as principal clarinet and soloist with the NORAD (North American Air Defense) Band (1968-1971). Additional teaching has been done at Cleveland State, Oakland, and Baldwin Wallace Universities.He was the first clarinetist to earn a Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University (1982). He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University (1968) and a Master of Music degree from Michigan State University (1973). His clarinet teachers include Robert Marcellus, Larry Combs, Clark Brody, Keith Stein, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, and Jerome Stowell. Additional sabbatical work was done with Stanley Hasty.Dr. Nygren has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Akron and Canton Symphonies, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Ballet, Cleveland Light Opera, and the Blossom Festival Band and Orchestra. He has performed and/or lectured at 6 International Clarinet Association Conferences, has performed with the Miami and Amici String Quartets, and has performed in Egypt, Greece, Canada, Iceland, and throughout the United States.He has contributed 9 articles to The Clarinet magazine and arranged 2 works for clarinet and wind ensemble, 1 work for clarinet, wind octet and string bass, and 1 work for clarinet and string quartet. He is considered a scholar concerning the clarinet music of Debussy and Berg, and the lives and careers of former Cleveland Orchestra clarinetists Robert Marcellus, Theodore Johnson and Franklin Cohen.In 2012 he released a CD--A Clarinet Collective, Albany Records, Troy 1330--which contains 3 of his arrangements, 3 compositions written for him, plus 2 other works previously not recorded on clarinet. The CD received excellent reviews from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Fanfare, and The Clarinet.