Taylor Marino is currently principal clarinet of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and was appointed that position in fall of 2018. Having grown up in Charlotte, Taylor was a member of the youth orchestra program and is thrilled to be back in his hometown. Before joining the Charlotte Symphony, he held the position of principal clarinet with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans. Taylor has performed with many world class professional orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Pacific Symphony and has performed as guest principal with the Auckland Philharmonic and Cincinnati Symphony. He has performed under the batons of numerous prolific conductors including Franz Welser-Most, Valery Gergiev, Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, Herbert Bloomstedt, Marin Alsop and more. He has won concerto competitions at Brevard Music Festival and at Aspen Music Festival and was a grand prize winner in the 2014 Vandoren Emerging Artist competition as well as a first prize winner in the Pasadena Showcase competition in California. During the summers he has attended the Tanglewood Music Center (where awarded the Gino B. Cioffi memorial prize), the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Spoleto Festival USA, Music Academy of the West and the Aspen Music Festival as an AACA fellow. He holds a bachelor's degree from the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Mark Nuccio and a master’s degree and professional studies certificate from the Colburn Conservatory where he studied with Yehuda Gilad.