Montreal clarinetist whose ex sabotaged his shot at a scholarship is now living the dream in Toronto

Toronto Symphony Orchestra musician brightens moods with song Clarinet player Eric Abramovitz is creating music videos to help entertain people stuck inside their homes amid COVID-19.

MONTREAL — Four years after he found out his ex-girlfriend blocked his chance at studying under a world-renowned clarinet player, Montrealer Eric Abramovitz is working his dream job in Toronto where he lives with his fiancée.

Abramovitz had applied to study under Yehuda Gilad at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles and was accepted with a full scholarship, but his girlfriend at the time declined the offer and sent Abramovitz a fake rejection letter from Gilad.

It was years later, when the couple had broken up, that Abramovitz realized what had happened. The truth came out when he reapplied to study under Gilad through a different program.

“I still got to study with him, luckily, for a year and a half,” Abramovitz told CTV News on Wednesday.

When he found out about the stunt, Abramovitz took his ex-girlfriend to court. The judge sided with him, awarding him $350,000.

“I’m sure the question most people would be wondering about it is if I’ve seen her again or if I’ve collected the money,” Abramovitz said. “And unfortunately, I still have not collected from her, my lawyer is still working on it, and luckily I have not run into her or had any contact with her since this all went down.”

Today, Abramovitz is living the dream, playing the clarinet in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where he’s been working since the fall of 2018.

“It’s been fantastic, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do and hopefully we can get back to it as soon as we can,” Abramovitz said, referring to the fact that events across the country have been cancelled until further notice amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s kind of hard for us musicians to be out of work and away from audiences, but we will pull through.”

To keep himself busy and to cheer up those who are feeling isolated because of the pandemic, Abramovitz has been working on music projects from the comfort of his home.

“I’ve got the clarinets, I’ve got saxophone, a bit of flute and for one little moment, a piano,” he said.

Despite the difficulties Abramovitz faced in the past, he has reached the goals he always intended to.