Clifford Spohr

Clifford Spohr joined the Dallas Symphony in 1963 after playing with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for two years. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in music education from Ithaca College in New York State, attended the Yale Summer School of Music and Art and was awarded his master’s in music literature from the Eastman School of Music. Spohr’s double bass is a Carlo Giuseppe Testore instrument made in Milan in 1737, the year of the maker’s death. It has five strings plus a low C extension by Winterhalter, giving it a greater than normal range. Spohr is an original member of the Dallas Symphony String Quintet, performing concerts for fourth- and fifth-grade students in area public and private schools for the Symphony YES program. When he is not making music, he enjoys sailing, skin diving and birding. A dedicated environmentalist, he belongs to a number of worthy organizations. Spohr also gives generously of his time to the SPCA and visits nursing homes, hospitals and day care centers with his dog, doing pet-assisted therapy. He and his wife Sandy have two children and three grandchildren.