"Norsworthy was a dramatic performer... with beautiful tonal nuances."

-Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"The zenith, the excellent soloists Michael Norsworthy and Amy Advocat leading an incandescent, bracing chorale, was transporting."

"Clarinetist Norsworthy... negotiated Brahms’ sudden transitions from fortissimo to pianissimo with skill and sensitivity. The gorgeous A-flat Andante was slow, reflective and its inner core of lyricism expressed with lullaby-like tenderness. The final Vivace with its spirited eighth notes and big Brahmsian piano bass held up well against the procession of short notes Norsworthy punctuated towards the uplifting finale."

"I first heard Michael Norsworthy play my music at Harvard in April 2006 and I was immediately impressed by his musicality, his technical abilities and his capacity to make even the most difficult music sound spontaneous. I am pleased to recommend him as a player."

"[Gerald Barry's] "Bob" (1989), titled after Edmund Spencer's "Bower of Bliss," was highlighted by the virtuosic clarinet duet of Carol McGonnell and Michael Norsworthy."

“I have known and worked with Mr. Norsworthy for about five years now. He is, in my view, one of the world’s best clarinet players. I would be, in conversation, even more laudatory and say “greatest” because his personal and professional generosity also single him out as of particular significance to composers and other proponents of New Music. Few musicians have the reserves of enthusiasm and knowledge that Michael Norsworthy has. He has, incidentally, all the virtuosity you could want too.”

“Michael Norsworthy (clarinet) and David Russell (cello) were stunningly good at traversing the pages of Lindberg’s Steamboat Bill, Jr., making every virtuoso demand seem effortless and striving mightily to bring out background shapes.

“Performances were top-shelf wonderful, among the best heard all season. Festival organizers Carol Rodland (viola) and Michael Norsworthy (clarinet), joined by violinist Ariadne Daskalakis, cellist Scott Kluksdahl , and pianist Max Levinson, played as if their very lives depended on it. All aspects of execution -- pitch, tone, technique, pacing, interpretation were flawless, as was chamber interaction and blend.”

“… clarinetist Michael Norsworthy brought his role off with gusto…”

"Michael Norsworthy entranced listeners with the command and fluidity of his playing in the recital's second premiere, "The Sadness of Detail", by Australian composer Chris Dench."

-The Clarinet

"Clarinetist Michael Norsworthy and pianist John McDonald were utterly stunning in Lara's work, gleefully seizing its wild abandon and exuberantly tearing into its breathtaking difficulties."

"Norsworthy demonstrates amazing tone in each of the clarinet's registers, his melodic lines are sinuous and simply beautiful, and his crescendos are subtle and effective."

-Northeast Performer

“Eric Hewitt expertly led the Callithumpian Consort through a sensitively conceived presentation of Escot's Clarinet Concerto, furnishing the ideal platform for Michael Norsworthy's excellently shaped and controlled lines.”

"There's nothing clarinetist Michael Norsworthy won't play: from Mozart to Carter to world premieres. Norsworthy's work in Michael Finnissy's new concerto for clarinet Giant Abstract Samba (written for Norsworthy) was stunning: his star is clearly on the ascendant."

-New England Bay Windows

“… [Norsworthy] met the pieces head on with inventive and musically expert renditions. It was an astonishing performance.”

"expertly played... giving the music precision and polish..."

-Chicago Tribune

"Sharafyan's language includes remarkable solo writing... brilliantly played by clarinetist Michael Norsworthy."

-Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"Norsworthy performs the most demanding works with a virtuosity and flair that belie their difficulty, racing from the lowest registers to the upper heights of the instrument with agility and accuracy while still producing a warm expressive sound."

-Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, Director
 Michigan State University Contemporary Clarinet Festival 2002

"Special citations should be made of Michael Norsworthy's splendid clarinet playing in Gnarly Buttons."

-21^st Century Music, David Cleary

"You are truly a virtuoso clarinet player... I was deeply moved by your brilliant and exquisite performances."

-Pozzi Escot, Composer

"a dedicated player"

-The Boston Globe

"Norsworthy played with technical agility, musicality, and control."

-The Clarinet

"Thank you for playing my music so well..."

-David Stock, Composer, 2001
 Director Emeritus - Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble
 After a performance of his clarinet concerto, Yerusha.

"His keen mind, work ethic, and over-all attention to detail distinguished him from amongst his peers."

-Timothy Hankewich
  Associate Conductor, Kansas City Symphony

"but what really impressed was the needle-sharp quality of musical execution by the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble… with brilliantly abrasive winds and a most persuasive command of the smoky textures."

-Financial Times

"A real tour de force.  Bravo!"

-Richard Stoltzman
Eminent Clarinet Soloist