Anastasia Christofakis

Anastasia Christofakis is an accomplished clarinetist and educator whose artistry bridges classical traditions and modern interpretations. Drawing on a rich cultural background, she brings technical command and emotional depth to a wide range of musical styles. She has performed extensively across the United States and internationally, appearing as a featured soloist with orchestras and chamber ensembles in repertoire ranging from the standard clarinet canon to contemporary and lesser-known works. Her commitment to new music has led to collaborations with numerous composers and premieres that expand the instrument's possibilities. Christofakis is the clarinetist and Vice President of Education and Community Outreach for What Is Noise, an award-winning Pierrot ensemble. The group has held residencies across the United States, including at Berklee College of Music and the University of Houston. Its tenth-anniversary season included a landmark concert at Lincoln Center's Bruno Walter Auditorium in May 2025, and its second album, Temporal Echoes, was released in 2026. An equally dedicated educator, Christofakis is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. She has served on the faculties of several universities and teaches clarinetists of all ages and levels through an approach known for being both inspiring and rigorous. Her students have won major competitions and gone on to perform in professional ensembles. Christofakis is also committed to outreach and uses music to connect communities and encourage cultural understanding. She is a founding member of the clarinet-piano duo Meraki, which explores the culture and history of people through folk sound and musical language. Meraki received a Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Award for its collaboration with composer Jerod Tate. With support from the Presser Foundation, Christofakis traveled to Armenia to explore its folk music and study the duduk with Gevorg Dabaghyan at Yerevan State Conservatory. Her project, 2,000 Years of History, 100 Years of Survival: Armenia, the Story of a People Through Their Music, has been presented at universities across the United States and at the International Clarinet Association's annual conference, and was published in The Clarinet. Christofakis earned a Doctor of Music from Florida State University, a Master of Music from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and a Bachelor of Music from James Madison University. Her teachers included Frank Kowalsky, Deborah Bish, Greg Smith, Carolee Smith, Mark Nuccio, and Janice L. Minor. She is a Royal Global Performing Artist and performs on Firebird clarinets and uses B. Corbin clarinet products. Away from music, she and her husband enjoy playing Frisbee with their dog, Cheerio, and continuing their search for the best pizza in town.

Anastasia Christofakis performs on the Royal Global Firebird Soprano clarinet, paired with a Corbin Hawley barrel and a Grabner Chicago mouthpiece, and she also uses B. Corbin clarinet products. She loves that she can "find her sound on it," feeling that "the instrument supports me instead of the other way around!" After a few years of searching for the right instrument and several invitations from Brian Corbin to try Royal, she revisited the clarinets after the company made acoustical changes. She recalls, "I just really liked them. There was no question when I tried them out." Beyond the instruments themselves, she deeply values the company's culture. "Royal is a family and they really treat everyone as such," she says. "My students even feel included in the Royal Global family! The personal care that Yuan, Brian, Austin, and everyone shares is special. They take pride in their instruments and really respect each other and their artists."