Tribute to Ashley Booher

Ashley was born on June 15, 1984, in Claremont, New Hampshire. After graduating from Stevens High School, she went on to receive a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2006 and a Master of Music degree in clarinet performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2009. Ashley met her husband Dana, a saxophonist, when they were seated next to each other in the Indiana University Wind Ensemble in 2007. They were married in 2010 and moved to northern Virginia the following year. Months after arriving in the Washington D.C. area, Ashley won a national audition for the bass clarinet chair in the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, launching her into a prestigious career in music. She later joined the faculties of Howard University and the University of Maryland where she taught and mentored a new generation of clarinetists. She was a highly talented musician who performed with great sensitivity and a beautiful, warm sound. She made a positive impact on the many musicians who were privileged to work with her.

Ashley Booher

The following are remembrances from those who knew Ashley:

I’ve sat down several times to write this but always come up short. It’s impossible to summarize Ashley’s being. She was bursting with life and passionately pursued every corner of it, even when it was challenging or painful. She was absolutely relentless in the pursuit of her goals but carried a glimmer of humor and joy no matter what. Above all, she loved her family and friends. I count myself deeply lucky to have shared music and life with Ashley, I miss her terribly and always will … for fun we would play duets together … these sessions always started or ended with us making our dogs howl (Capriccio Espagnol, Rhapsody in Blue). When we eventually got around to actually playing the duet, we’d switch parts at the top of every page, would usually forget, and ultimately dissolved into fits of giggles and eventually cackling laughter. The best.

– Adele Demi, United States Navy Band

Ashley and I met at IU when we started our MM degrees. From the moment I met her, I was drawn to her kindness and the genuine way she cared about everyone around her. Her laugh was absolutely contagious, and I loved hearing it. I also admired her beautiful clarinet playing—it was as pure and beautiful as she was. During our school days she often played bass clarinet in our orchestra and I remember her playing both Petrushka and Rite of Spring. As a violinist who didn’t know much about clarinet at that point in my life, I was in awe. Her playing was really authentic and beautiful and I just knew she’d win a job on bass right out of school and I was correct! She won the Washington National Opera position on bass clarinet right after graduation! It was her dream job! Ashley was a person who made the people around her feel loved, supported, and seen. She had a quiet strength, a generous heart, and a warmth that made the world feel brighter. I will forever cherish our friendship.

– Julie Wunderle, Utah Symphony

I met Ashley during my sophomore year at Indiana University and consider myself lucky to call her a friend and colleague for 20 years. Her vibrant personality and natural musicianship made for numerous memorable performances while we shared the stage or pit. I can still close my eyes and remember her beautiful bass clarinet solos on Strauss’s Don Quixote with the IU Philharmonic on a September evening in 2009. A few years after that performance, Ashley won the bass clarinet audition for the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and moved to Washington, DC. During Ashley’s tenure at the Kennedy Center, I had the privilege to be a guest in the clarinet section on many occasions and the opportunity to continue a friendship from our former days in Bloomington. One specific performance that stands out was the Washington National Opera’s production of Strauss’s Elektra in 2022. While a demanding score, Ashley’s rich tone and technical excellence was showcased during section and solo playing in her typical confident, yet unassuming way. I will fondly remember Ashley for a genuine friendship spanning two decades.

– Chris Reardon, United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”

Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra clarinet section, from left to right: David Jones, Ashley Booher, Kathy Mulcahy, Chris Reardon, performing Elektra, 2022.