Picosa Director of Operations & Marketing, Andrea R. DiOrio, is among Chicago’s most highly sought after clarinetists.
She has performed with numerous local orchestras including the Chicago Philharmonic, Elgin, Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Quad Cities, Illinois Philharmonic, Elmhurst, and South Bend Symphony Orchestras. In addition, DiOrio has performed in over twenty operas with the Lyric Opera Orchestra between 2003 and 2020 including Principal clarinet for A Light in the Piazza featuring Renée Fleming.
As a chamber musician DiOrio has been a core member of the Chicago Clarinet Ensemble and a former member of the MAVerick Ensemble, where she also served as Artistic Administrator. With MAVerick, she participated in dozens of world premieres. She has also performed on WFMT with Picosa, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, Grant Park Festival Orchestra, and MAVerick Ensemble.
DiOrio is recognized as a top pedagogue and is thrilled to be on faculty at Elmhurst University.
In 2014, DiOrio’s presentations on the topic of “A New Twist on Clarinet Methods” were presented to a full house at the Illinois Music Educator’s Association State Conference and as a webinar for the National Association for Music Education Learning Network. DiOrio currently serves as Clarinet Instructor and Head of Woodwinds at Elmhurst University. DiOrio is a Senior Lecturer for Benedictine University’s School of Graduate, Adult and Professional Education where she teaches Music Appreciation and writes curriculum. She has previously served in the music departments of North Cental College, Benedictine University, Loyola University Chicago, and Aurora University. For over 10 years she was Co-Director of the Illinois Summer Youth Music Pre-College Clarinet Camp with J. David Harris at the University of Illinois.
DiOrio is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied with Russell Dagon and received her Master of Music Performance in Clarinet. She is also a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she studied with J. David Harris and graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance in Clarinet, with honors. She also studied with Charlene Zimmerman and John Bruce Yeh.
She feels very fortunate to have had such fantastic mentors and teachers throughout her career, especially Charlene Zimmerman and J. David Harris. Their continued guidance and inspiration is truly a blessing.
She lives in Naperville with her husband Tony, daughter Penelope (7), son Zachary (3) and and has an avid interest in swing dancing, quilting and all things crafty.
photo credit: Forestt Strong LaFave & Michelle Geoga