Klarinet Archive - Posting 000205.txt from 1994/11

From: Josias Associates <josassoc@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Vancouver Wind Trio
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 1994 21:35:27 -0500

On Sat, 12 Nov 1994, James Sclater wrote:

> Tell me about your group. I have a trio for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.
> It's a six-movement piece...ca. 18-20 minutes long. Grade 5. Let me know
> if you're interested in it. I have a tape of it done by members of the
> Mississippi Symphony Orchestra ...the clarinet player on the tape is Ted
> Gurch, now ass't principal in Atlanta, a really wonderful player.
>
> Jim Sclater
>
> James Sclater inet: sclater@-----.edu
> Mississippi College (601)925-3445
> Clinton, MS 39058
>
Jim,

I had a few reflections about your wind trio, which I'd like to
share with you. Except for the summer periods, I play mostly with
orchestras. But, during the summer, like a number of other members of the
Klarinet list, I attend chamber music workshops, where I invariably play
some clarinet/oboe/bassoon trios.

On the chance that you have not already anticipated my
recommendation, I would like to offer you the following suggestions.
Having attended summer workshops continuously since 1980, I can
assure you that one effective way to have your music heard and purchased
is to 1) get it into the workshops' libraries, 2) provide an opportunity
for musicians to play it on a free-lance basis, and 3) provide the workshop
directors incentives to have it assigned (one way might be to send them a
tape of the Mississippi trio along with the sheet music).

The workshops with which I am most familiar are on the West Coast
and have intensive woodwind activities. I have personally attended the
workshops at Ashland, Oregon (at the Southern Oregon State College) and
at Humboldt State University at Arcata, California. There are others that
have excellent reputations also, although I don't have first-hand
experience with them. They include the workshop at Cal State, Chico, near
Sacramento, and one in Montana (I think), in which Mitchell Lurie gave
master classes a few years ago.

These are all performing workshops (everyone gets a new
assignment each day and performs it that day) so that, not only do the
players become familiar with the works, all the workshop attendees and
coaching staff hear them as well. What is also important, library works are
available to attendees to freelance after completion of the day's activities.

These workshops have attendees from around the country, with abilities
varying from student to professional levels. The director of the Ashland
workshop is Phebe Kimball, a flutist; and one of the wind coaches is
Ray Weaver, who was principal oboe in Houston during Stokowski's tenure.
One of the keyboard coaches was a colleague of Jim Gillespie's from the
University of North Texas. (Jim is Editor and Publisher of the ICA's
journal, "The Clarinet.")

I haven't been to Humboldt for a few years, but my
last information on that workshop was that Val Phillips (a horn player)
was director. Two people on the Klarinet network who can provide more
current data on Humboldt are Claudia Zornow and Jim Lytthans.

If it would be of any help, I'd be happy to act as a reference at
the Ashland workshop.

Since your trio note was addressed to a correspondent in Vancouver,
I should mention that both Ashland and Humboldt workshops have notable
contingents from Vancouver, Canada in attendance. As a result, when my wife
and I made a whirlwind visit to Vancouver this last August (during the
opening of the Commonwealth games), I got a chance to see one of my new
Vancouver friends from the workshop and play some chamber music with him
and one of his music colleagues.

Connie Josias

Conrad Josias
Engineering Consultant
Josias Associates
La Canada, California
josassoc@-----.com