Marcus Eley is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music in clarinet and studied at the Hochschule fuer Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria.
Eley has performed as a soloist with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra (Germany), the Louisville Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Edmonton (Canada) Wind Sinfonia, and the National Army Military Band of the People’s Republic of China (Beijing). He has also given numerous recitals in major cities of the United States.
He has participated as a guest artist at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa. Of his performance, Jeff Brukman of Cue Magazine said, “… consummate artistry. The festival is indeed fortunate to host such a master of the clarinet.” Eley was a guest performer at the 2016 Beethovenfest Bonn. Claudia Wallendorf, music critic of the Bonn General Anzeiger said, “(Eley’s) colorful and nuanced clarinet playing… was very pleasantly displayed.”
In 2012, Sono Luminus released Eley’s But Not Forgotten: Music by African American Composers for Clarinet and Piano. Steve Arloff, MusicWeb International cites it as “a disc of pure unalloyed joy.” The Listener (Germany), Rainer Aschemeier exclaims, “Wow!’ What a beautiful, varied CD! This CD has succeeded in its well-chosen repertoire, as well as interpretation and sound.” “Marcus Eley knows when and how to make the clarinet charm, dance, sing and cry. – Jean Yves Dupperon, Classical Music Sentinel. In 2023, Imaginary Animals, the digital label of Bright Shiny Things, released Eley’s recording, PERSEVERANCE. Through their efforts, the label submitted this recording for consideration for a GRAMMY® Award. Patrick Rucker, recording reviewer for Gramophone Magazine (February 2024) stated, “Two things are likely to strike you listening to PERSEVERANCE. First is the extraordinary beauty of the sound of Eley’s clarinet, velvety throughout all of its registers, not to mention its immense expressivity. The second is the sheer variety of musical expression.”
Eley has served as Dean of Students at the New England Conservatory, Assistant (Adjunct) Professor of Music (Clarinet) at California State University Los Angeles and Marketing Projects Specialist/Artist Relations for Rico International.
