Clarinetist Erika Block hails from Annapolis, MD. She is the Executive Director of the Bellingham Festival of Music. Erika performs regularly with the Fifth Inversion wind quintet, Bellingham Festival of Music, Bellingham Symphony Orchestra, Bellingham Chamber Music Society, and many other groups. As an active soloist, she will be featured in the 22/23 season with the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra and has been featured twice with the Skagit Symphony, WWU Wind Symphony, and with the Whatcom Wind Ensemble. As a member of Fifth Inversion, Erika has performed in several international and national conferences across the US and Canada. Erika and her family moved to Bellingham in 2011 after several years in Vancouver, BC. There she played with the Vancouver Island Symphony, North Shore Sinfonia, and Nu:BC contemporary ensemble.

Erika received her Bachelor and Master’s degrees in clarinet performance at Boston University. She studied with Thomas Martin (Boston Symphony Orchestra), and continued on with Ricardo Morales (Philadelphia Orchestra). Her studies began with Gregory Raden (Dallas Symphony Orchestra), and she attended Brevard, Tanglewood, and Kinhaven music schools in the summer.

In addition to performing, Erika is the host of the classical music podcast, Inside the Notes. She interviews musicians from all areas of the classical music field to discuss their career and favorite memories in classical music. This podcast aims to educate younger generations of musicians with first-hand accounts of important performances and experiences.

Before moving to Bellingham, Erika was the director of marketing and artist relations at Backun Musical Services in Vancouver, BC. She spent several years touring the US and Europe, helping artists with their equipment and attending conferences and instrument trade shows. She helped with the marketing campaigns of the Leblanc by Backun, Bliss, and Backun protege series clarinets.

Performing Artists