symphony spotlight
Meet Cedric Mayfield
conroe symphony clarinet
Music in His Veins
Meet Cedric Mayfield, clarinetist, 20-year military band veteran, and one of the most well-traveled musicians in the CSO.
Cedric Mayfield doesn’t say he chose the clarinet. He says the clarinet chose him.
He was eight years old, at an arts magnet school in Houston ISD, when he first picked it up — and nearly 40 years later, it’s still his principal instrument. Along the way he added saxophone (during his undergraduate studies at SMU in Dallas) and flute (while touring with musicals out of New York City).
But the clarinet is home.
So is Houston. Cedric recently returned to the area after two decades of military music service — 15 years with the U.S. Coast Guard Band and five years with U.S. Air Force bands — and he found the Conroe Symphony while looking for a place to keep making music.
“It seemed like a nice place to call home, musically speaking,” he says. He’s now in his second season with the CSO.
“There is no sound, or experience, quite like it. Making this wonderful music come alive is a gift for both musician and listener.”
–Cedric Mayfield
Those 20 years in uniform took him around the world. His most memorable Air Force experience was a deployment to perform in the Middle East, “it changed my life,” he says, “an experience unlike anything I’d ever encountered.”
With the Coast Guard Band, one assignment sent him across five Pacific islands over four weeks.
“It was a lifetime opportunity, making music for and with some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever encountered, in one of the most beautiful regions on earth. I will forever cherish my time serving my country as a musician.”
-Cedric Mayfield
But the moment that started it all came much earlier, as a young person performing with the Houston Youth Symphony alongside jazz legend Chick Corea.
“This concert lit the fuse that led me to decide I wanted to be a musician for the rest of my life.”
This season, Cedric is a featured soloist at the CSO’s season opener, Swing Swing Swing.
He’ll tell you he loved doing the orchestra’s John Williams program. “I’ve always had very special moments performing the music of John Williams. It connects with the audience in such a special way. His music is easy to listen to, but very challenging to play well.”
Off stage, Cedric is refreshingly himself. He’s devoted to fitness (“but mostly music!”), shares his home with two dogs: Melo, a pit-boxer rescue, and Deucington, a Cane Corso known as Deuce, and is, by his own cheerful admission, “a cereal connoisseur of sorts.” (Everything from organic granola to Lucky Charms, and a warm bowl of Cream of Wheat made with, quote, “all the right ingredients — chef’s secrets.”)
The person he credits most is the late Ross Powell, his undergraduate clarinet teacher. “His compassion, dedication, and belief in me paved the way for the rest of my career. I learned a great deal about myself through him.”
What does Cedric want you to know about him? He said it best himself:
“I served proudly, I’m very happy to be back home in Houston, and music runs through my veins. I’ve dedicated my life to it, and I’ll continue to pursue this gift as long as the Lord allows me.”
-Cedric Mayfield
Cedric, Off The Stage
Favorite Food
Cereal
Everything from organic granola to Lucky Charms, and a warm bowl of Cream of Wheat made with, “all the right ingredients; chef’s secrets.”
Share His Home With
Melo, a pit-boxer rescue
Deucington, a Cane Corso known as Deuce
Notable Achievements
15 years with the U.S. Coast Guard Band
five years with U.S. Air Force band
2 Years with the CSO
Soloist at Swing Swing Swing Concert
Come Hear Cedric For Yourself
“The musicians in the orchestra must have music in their hearts to make such a sacrifice to come to rehearsals after their day jobs. They just have music-making as part of their lives.”
— Gary Liebst, Music Director
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