Carmen is has been a clarinetist for the last 13 years. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from DePaul University, studying with Julie DeRoche and Larry Combs(principal clarinet of the Chicago Symphony from 1978-2008). From 2006 to 2008 he was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony. While in Civic he performed under the baton of prestigious conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Myung-Whun Chung, Pierre Boulez, Oliver Knussen and many others. Through Civic he also participated in the MusiCorps program which sends Civic musicians to inner city schools and community colleges to perform and offer interactive performances with underprivileged music classes. While in Chicago, Carmen developed a substantial private studio at various local schools. He offers his students the opportunity to explore whatever their musical goals are with him in a creative and low pressure environment. In the summer of 2006 Carmen studied with Burt Hara and Bil Jackson at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Carmen is currently studying with the renowned Yehuda Gilad at the University of Southern California.