New School Year/New Inspiration

I have just returned from the ICA ClarinetFest in Los Angeles. It was five days packed with all things clarinet. It was fantastic. I am feeling so refreshed, inspired and energized – just in time for the new semester to begin.

What inspires you? We all need to periodically regroup and refresh, to keep the creativity flowing; to maintain the energy needed to practice, rehearse, and perform; to be a performer, teacher, composer. Its an exciting life but it does require an abundance of energy and inspiration. So I ask, what inspires you?

Last week was fantastic. There were spectacular performances of every kind – chamber, solo, orchestral, new music, old music, everything and anything you might want to hear. That inspires me. I saw many people from my past (and present) that I so admire, and to renew those bonds is inspirational. I met new people that are now a part of my musical life – both performers and composers – very inspirational.

I spent some time driving up the Pacific Coast Highway; driving through the canyons to emerge from beautiful mountains to be greeted with the beauty of the Pacific Ocean; swimming with my family in the waves of the ocean. All inspiring.

What inspires you?

New Clarinet Chamber Music

A couple months ago I performed at the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI) National Conference at the University of Florida. It was two days full of wonderful performances and presentations, given by faculty members and graduate students from universities all over the country. It was exciting!

It was a great opportunity to hear a lot of clarinet chamber music, much of it new. In fact so much of it was new that I thought it would be interesting to list the works here so you can see what is out there and what is being performed around the country. I have included performers’ names and where possible, affiliated schools, certainly because they deserve the recognition but also so that you have a starting point if you wish to inquire about some of this repertoire.

NACWPI 2011 Clarinet chamber music

Tangent; Hugo Weisgall (1912-1997)
I. Starting Out
II. Scooting By
III. Moseying Along
IV. Taking Off

Sonatine for flute and clarinet (1931); Jean Cartan (1906-1932)
Pastorale
Berceuse
Rondeau

The Scott/Garrison Duo
Leonard Garrison, flute
Shannon Scott, clarinet

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Wings (1981); Joan Tower (b. 1938)
Rebecca Rischin, clarinet

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Eloquence II for solo clarinet (2010); Lori F. Ardovino (b. 1960)
Lori F. Ardovino, clarinet

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Trío de alientos (1965, rev. 1979);Joaquin Gutierrez Heras (b. 1927)
Allegro
Allegretto scherzando
Moderato espressivo e flessibile

The Sonora Reed Trio:
Christa Garvey, Oboe
Richard Fletcher, Clarinet
Kristine Fletcher, Bassoon

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Euphoric Dance for Clarinet Quartet; Richard Byrd (b. 1961)
Commissioned by the Commonwealth Clarinet Quartet

Weep No More for Clarinet Quartet (2009); Elizabeth R. Austin
Commissioned by the Commonwealth Clarinet Quartet

Four Impossible Objects; Brad Baumgardner (b. 1980)
I. Devil's Fork
II. Penrose Triangle
III. Mobius Strip
Commissioned by the Commonwealth Clarinet Quartet

The Commonwealth Clarinet Quartet
John Cipolla, Western Kentucky University
Dallas Tidwell, The University of Louisville
Connie Rhoades, Eastern Kentucky University
Scott Locke, Murray State University

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The Seasons;Valencio Jackson, Jr. (b. 1974)
Snow Falls
Spring Awakens
I Saw Two Clouds at Morning
October

Marguerite Levin, clarinet; Phillip Collister, baritone; R. Timothy McReynolds, piano

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Um a Zero; Alfredo da Rocha Pixinguinha and
Benedito Lacerda
(1889-1973) and (1903-1958)

Apanhei-te Cavaquinho; Ernesto Narareth (1863-1934)

Tico-Tico no Fubá; Zequinha de Abreu (1880-1935)

Sheri Falcone, clarinet
Denise Rowan, bassoon
Rosângela Sebba, piano

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Chants d’Auvergne; Joseph Canteloube
L’Antouèno
L’aio de rotso
La delaissádo
Obal din lou limouzi

Jana Young, Soprano
Margaret Donaghue Flavin, Clarinet
Russell Young, Piano

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Cinq Pieces en Trio; Jacques Ibert
1. Allegro Vivo
2. Andantino
3. Allegro Assai
4. Andante
5. Allegro Assai Marziale

The Sequoia Trio; Jenni Brandon
I. Sequoiadendron giganteum, The Big Tree
Tree Interlude One
II. "A crowd of hopeful young trees and saplings..."
III. The Three Graces
Tree Interlude Two
IV. The Noble Trees

Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon; Heitor Villa Lobos
1. Anime
2. Languissammente
3. Vivo

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS REED TRIO
Rebecca Henderson, oboe
Nathan Williams, clarinet
Kristin Wolfe Jensen, bassoon

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Preludes, book 1 for solo clarinet; Eric P. Mandat (b 1957)
I. Illinois Central
II. the looking-glass
III. homage to P.J.
IV. spin moves
V. in Bill's back room
Amanda Morrison

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Eternal Garden—Four Songs for Clarinet and Piano (2009) David Maslanka (b. 1943)
IV. Eternal Garden
Steven Becraft, clarinet
May Tsao-Lim, piano

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Hommage à M. de Falla Béla Kovács (1936)

Moonflowers, Baby! A Jazz Essay for Solo Clarinet (1986); Meyer Kupferman (1926-2003)

Bruce Curlette, clarinet
Cedarville University

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Gathering Threads; Elizabeth Austin
Theme
Giacoso
Cantabile
Amanda McCandless, clarinet
University of Northern Iowa

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Elegie; Ferruccio Busoni

Duo Concertant; Darius Milhaud

Guy Yehuda, clarinet
University of North Florida

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Colors; Roger Jones
Green
Yellow
Purple
Orange
Blue
Red

Sandy Schwoebel, flute
Carol Christofferson, clarinet
Carol McNabb Goodwin, bassoon

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Demondance (2010); Carl Vollrath

The Troy University Chamber Trio
Dr. Timothy Phillips, clarinet
Dr. James Zingara, trumpet
Dr. Hui-Ting Yang, piano

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Etudes, from 32 Etudes for Clarinet and Piano; Cyrille Rose (1830-1903)
(arr. John Walker)
I. Andante cantabile
II. Allegro
IV. Allegro
VII. Allegretto
IX. Moderato assai
George Stoffan, clarinet
Kevin Orr, piano

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Three Scenes (aus Goethe, Wilhelm Meister); William P. Dougherty (b. 1956)
I. Dream
II. Hall of the Past
III. Egg Dance
Leslie Marrs, Flute
Clarence Padilla, Clarinet
Nicholas Roth, Piano

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Bi-Polarang; Eric Mandat (b. 1957)

Speak of the Devil Roshanne Etezady

Four Duets for Four Demi-Clarinets; William O. Smith (b. 1926)
Mysterious
Angry
Dramatic
Bold

Live Wire; Theresa Martin (b. 1979)

Robert Spring and Jana Starling, Arizona State University

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Pastoral, Op. 21; Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987)

Wind Quintet No. 1, Serenade for Five Wind Instruments; Gordon Jacob (1895-1984)
I. Overture
II. Air
III. Jig
IV. Interlude
V. Theme and Variations
VI. Rondino

Walking Tune, for wind quintet; Percy Grainger (1882-1961)

Quintet for Winds No. 3; David Maslanka (b. 1943)
II. Moderate
III. Very Fast


University of Georgia Wind Quintet
Angela Jones-Reus, flute
Reid Messich, oboe
D. Ray McClellan, clarinet
Amy Marinello, bassoon
Jean Martin-Williams, horn

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick note to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

A sampling of things I am thankful for:

My wonderful friends and family
My two amazing sons and awesome husband
Talented and inspiring students
The best colleagues
Frost School of Music, University of Miami
MiamiClarinet
Clarinet, Clarinetists, Clarinet rep....
Good Reeds!!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Chamber Music

I am in the midst of some great chamber music making. It is truly one of my favorite things to do. I feel blessed to have the wonderful opportunities to perform amazing music with treasured friends and colleagues.

I think that what enamors me the most about chamber music is the ‘team spirit’ involved. Most musical decisions are made as a group; including larger issues such as tempo, structure, character...as well as finer details like articulation length and dynamic shadings. At the same time, thousands of decisions are made by the individual in any given rehearsal or performance. I love that you can hear every line at all times; the blending of phrase, intonation and color is so fantastic. These decisions, both group and individual, come together for the greater good, so to speak. It is truly a case of the final product being greater than the sum of its parts. Gestalt. Love it.

I would love to hear some of the chamber music you are all playing these days! For those interested, here are some of the pieces I am currently involved with:

Rage against the machine, Scott Stinson. An exciting, new quartet for two Bb’s and two Bass clarinets

Sextet for Strings, Clarinet, Horn and Piano, Dohnanyi

Two, Scott Flavin. A brand new, beautiful duo for Clarinet and Violin

Quintet for Winds and Piano, Mozart

Suite for Clarinet, Violin and Piano; Milhaud

Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano, Khatchaturian

Trio for Clarinet, Horn and Piano; Gustav Jenner

Trio Pathetique, Glinka

Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium

Last weekend I performed at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. What a wonderful experience on so many levels! For those that may not know, it is a three day symposium filled with performances, clinics and exhibits. The evening concerts included, among others, Stanley Drucker, the Chicago Trio, Dmitri Ashkenazy and Alessandro Carbonare. As you would imagine, all were exciting and inspiring performances.

The exhibits were open all day - Backun, Luyben, Woodwindiana, Muncy, WoodwindBrasswind, Buffet, Yamaha, Selmer, Rico...the list goes on and on! It was such fun to look through all the music, try instruments, mouthpieces, bells, barrels...I am not one to experiment too much with setup. I play what I like and don't change very often. But---this was fun!!

I performed on the final day with the MiamiClarinet Quartet. This group is actually sort of an offshoot of this blog. The quartet included Danielle Woolery, Teaching Assistant and Mancini Fellow at the University of Miami, Dr. Dawn McConkie Courtney, Professor of Clarinet at Emporia State University, and Dr. Michael Walsh, Professor of Clarinet at South Dakota State University. Dr. Courtney and Dr. Walsh are both former students of mine and hold degrees from the University of Miami. They were once my students, they are now my colleagues and friends.

For anyone interested in clarinet quartet repertoire, we played some great new works. The first was Nebulous by Derek Sherron. He is also a former student of mine, and holds a degree from the University of Miami. He is currently pursuing the Master's Degree in Composition at New England Conservatory. It is a three movement work that is exciting, intense, beautiful...a great piece. We also played an amazing work by Scott Stinson, Professor of Theory and Composition at the University of Miami. It is entitled Rage against the machine, and is incredibly exciting. It is scored for two Bb's and two Bass Clarinets, giving it great depth of range and color. We thought we would end by bringing a little Miami to Oklahoma and played an arrangement of mine, Miami Beach Rhumba.

In short, we had a blast and look forward to the next time we can get together. The Symposium was terrific and I urge you to check it out for next year. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend ICA in Austin in a few weeks but I hope many of you will be going. If so, add a comment, I would love to hear about it!

Happy summer,
Dr D

A New CD to listen to!

Listening to music is an amazing, enlightening, inspiring and emotion-provoking experience. As musicians we listen to music for so many reasons – to enjoy, to experience, to learn, to study, the list goes on. We should listen to those pieces that we love and cherish; we should listen to those pieces that we don’t yet know as well. We should always be striving to broaden our musical horizons. Listening is an ideal way to do this.

The reason I’m writing about this is that I just heard a new recording that is dear to my heart on many levels and I want to share it with you. It is entitled Wolf Rounds, and was just released by Naxos as part of their Wind Band Classics series. (NAXOS 8.572439) The performers are the Frost Wind Ensemble at the University of Miami, Gary Green, Director, with Glenn Basham, violin and Tim Conner, trombone, soloists.

The pieces on the CD are Ladder to the Moon, by Michael Daugherty; Concerto for Trombone and Wind Ensemble, by David Maslanka; and Wolf Rounds, by Christopher Rouse. The performers are of course from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, so all of the clarinetists are/were my students. The conductor and soloists are friends and colleagues at UM.

The composers are all inspiring, the pieces fantastic and the performances incredible. Ladder to the Moon is based on the urban landscapes of Georgia O’Keeffe. It is scored for solo violin, wind octet, double bass and one percussionist. It is high energy, exciting music and Glenn Basham, solo violin, is fantastic. (as is the clarinet soloist!)

The Trombone Concerto is incredibly beautiful and heartfelt music. It was written as a memorial to Christine Nield-Capote whose passing was a terrible loss to all who knew and loved her. She was a very special musician, teacher and friend and she is terribly missed. Along with beautiful trombone playing by Tim Conner, there is a solo cello line, played by Ashley Garritson (UM graduate student) which is simply stunning.

The CD ends with Wolf Rounds, which was premiered by UM at Carnegie Hall in 2007. It is based on a series of circular musical ‘loops’, cycling and overlapping. Mr Rouse describes this idea of loops bringing to mind wolves (lupus) circling their prey, which in turn brings to mind the circular nature of the piece – hence the title Wolf Rounds.

I hope you will take a few minutes to listen to this wonderful new music. Each piece is a tremendous addition to our wind repertoire. And as a last thought I will say, since most if not all of us reading this blog are clarinetists – there is some GREAT clarinet playing on this cd!! And to those of you reading who performed on this recording – congratulations to all of you, I could not be more proud of you. 

Dr D

Happy New Year!

Just a quick note to wish you all the very best in the new year. It was a year ago that I started this blog and it has been great fun for me to share some clarinet talk with you. I am thankful for those of you that return to check out new blogs and for those of you who are stopping by for the first time. I have had visitors from nearly every state and well over 50 countries. I am thankful for all of you.

We have so much more to talk about! Look for a new blog in the next week or so. As always I am open to suggestions, so comment or email your ideas about topics!

Have a healthy, productive and prosperous new year!!

Dr D