Marianne Breneman, a native of the Detroit area, discovered the joy of making music at the age of 4, when she began piano lessons with her mother.  Clarinet studies followed at the age of 9, primarily because there were 4 clarinets in the house already. To this day, Marianne dreams of studying the cello but would admit that clarinet worked out just fine!

Currently the second clarinetist with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Marianne is also an active recitalist and chamber musician.  She has performed across the United States in many memorable places including  Detroit, Cincinnati, Salem South Carolina, Fresno California and at Bargemusic in Brooklyn, NY.  Marianne is a founding member of Conundrum, a unique chamber music ensemble of soprano, flute, clarinet, and piano that specializes in new and often ignored music.

Ms. Breneman holds degrees from Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).  During her undergraduate and graduate programs, she was the recipient of several awards including the Grace Taylor Johnson Music Scholarship, the Tuesday Musicale of Pontiac Competition, and the Detroit Symphony-Wayne State University Bradlin Award for Outstanding Orchestral Musician.  Marianne was also a featured soloist with the CCM Repertory Orchestra, performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.

She has participated in many summer festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, The Banff Centre for the Arts, The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Le Domaine Forget, the Scotia Festival of Music, the ARIA Academy, and the Grandin Chamber Music Festival at CCM.

Prior to moving to Atlanta in June 2011, Ms. Breneman was a member of the faculty at Northern Kentucky University where she taught applied clarinet, aural skills, and conducted the NKU Clarinet Choir. In addition to her duties at NKU, Marianne was on the music faculty at The College of Mount St. Joseph and The School for Creative and Performing Arts – the country’s only K-12 arts magnet school from 2005 to 2011.

Marianne and her husband Brian live in metro Atlanta with two exuberant golden retrievers.  In her spare time, she volunteers with animal rescue and food pantry organizations, loves fitness, running, triathlon, reading, and traveling.