Located deep in the heart of Texas, the Prickly Pear Clarinet Ensemble is a chamber music group comprised of several local clarinetists. The ensemble combines several generations of musical experiences, featuring the full spectrum of the clarinet family. The members of Prickly Pear come from varying backgrounds—many of whom are active music educators & performers in the San Antonio area! Our members of Prickly Pear are collegiately-trained clarinet players from across the country.

The ensemble was formed in 2015 by Robert & Jean Lake. The Lakes relocated to Lakehills, TX, from Minneapolis in 2014. While in Minnesota, they organized a clarinet choir comprised of the Encore Wind Ensemble clarinet section. Having a large stack of clarinet choir music in their library—and having enjoyed the genre—the Lakes set out to form a clarinet choir in Texas, to fill that void in their musical lives.

Prickly Pear enjoys performing original works, as well as transcriptions for clarinet choir. Specifically, the ensemble focuses on performing literature that connects with younger musicians where they can be exposed to clarinet chamber works.

The name, Prickly Pear, was suggested because the ensemble is somewhat of a quirky group of Texans (mostly immigrants from the other 49 states!) who enjoy musical interaction with one another, honing our musicianship, aspiring to interpret compositions as the composers & arrangers envisioned, and sharing our performances with live audiences. Much like the beautiful and sweet fruit of the prickly pear plant, the Prickly Pear Clarinet Ensemble adds a spritely sweetness to the musical offerings of Texas.