WHAT ARE WE?

Improbable Beasts is a Boston-based, professional BASS clarinet ensemble dedicated to bringing the deeply expressive power of many bass clarinets before a broad audience.


WHO ARE WE?

The members of Improbable Beasts are some of the most sought-after clarinetists in the Boston area, regularly appearing with groups such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and numerous regional orchestras, new music groups, and chamber ensembles.

Improbable Beasts' founder and leader, Jon Russell, has two decades of experience inventing and performing music for bass clarinet(s). He was a longtime member of the Edmund Welles bass clarinet quartet, which channeled the ecstatic power of heavy metal through the deep  resonances of four bass clarinets. He is a member, with Jeff Anderle, of the Sqwonk bass clarinet duo, which for the past 15 years has been creating a new repertoire of vital new music for two bass clarinets. Jon is also a seasoned composer and arranger, with a vast catalog of works for orchestras, choirs, chamber ensembles, and wind bands. He is uniquely positioned to create and arrange music for many bass clarinets that fully exploits the extraordinary capabilities of this unusual ensemble.


WHAT DO WE WANT?

We want to fund our exciting programs for 2024, 2025 and beyond!

These include:

WHY DO WE NEED MONEY?

Mounting high-quality, live performances involves many expenses, and ticket sales don't come close to covering the costs.
These costs include: 

We are a lean organization. No paid staff, no glossy brochures. Almost all of the money we raise goes directly to our performers to pay them for their time and efforts. The math is pretty simple: the more money we raise, the more performances we can give.


WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

Most importantly, the satisfaction of knowing that you've enabled our season of music-making to happen. We can't do any of this without your support. If you want to make the awesome acoustical and spiritual power of many bass clarinets resonating out into the universe a reality, then please lend us your support, in whatever amount works for you.

There is also an array of perks available, depending on your donation level, from acknowledgment in our programs, to free concert tickets, to t-shirts and CD's, and private performances. All donations (through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas) are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please see the range of donation levels to the right, and thank you so much for your support!