Gretchen Roper
Clarinetist, Educator, Repair Technician

Gretchen Roper is the Second Clarinetist with the Charleston Symphony in Charleston, SC, joining the orchestra in 2006.  Gretchen received a Bachelor of Music degree from Duquesne University in 2005, studying with Michael Rusinek and Ron Samuels, and then pursued a Masters Degree in Music from the University of Minnesota, studying with Burt Hara.  Gretchen also had the opportunity to study with the late beloved clarinetist and pedagogue, David Weber during her late high school and early college years.  

In addition to her position with the Charleston Symphony, Gretchen plays with the Hilton Head Symphony, the Savannah Philharmonic, Chamber Music Charleston, and has played with the Sarasota Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra.  She has also played with The Wintergreen Summer Music Festival in Wintergreen, VA and has appeared several times in the Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto festivals in Charleston, SC.  Gretchen has attended the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute in Washington D.C., and The Banff Center Summer Workshop and Orchestra Festival in Banff, AB in Canada. 
In addition to playing clarinet in the orchestra, Gretchen enjoys playing chamber music, teaching a thriving private clarinet studio, and being a clarinet repair technician.  Outside of music, Gretchen and her husband have a beautiful daughter, and have a soft spot for animals, owning two dogs and two cats.