Mitchell Lurie

American clarinettist and teacher, (9 March 1922, Brooklyn - 24 November 2008, Los Angeles). The principal clarinettist for The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and then The Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the late 1940s, he subsequently worked in Hollywood as a top clarinettist for film studios, and became a distinguished chamber musician, best known for his numerous performances with the Budapest String Quartet and The Muir String Quartet. He taught for many years at USC and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. Clarinettists around the world use his patent reeds and mouthpieces. He was married to the pianist Leona Lurie from 1945.