Klarinet Archive - Posting 000850.txt from 1996/03

From: Brad Behn <BradBehn@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Gallodoro, Cioffi
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 00:06:46 -0500

Dan Oberlin,

I enjoyed your thoughts regarding Gino Cioffi and Al Gallodoro.
Did you play in the Tulsa Phil? I play second and Eb. I am busy practicing
the Eb clarinet for Shostakovich 10. That piece is pretty tough. We perform
it on Saturday night.

Dwight is doing fine. He seems to travel alot with his wife Jan now that he
is retired from the orchestra and teaching at TU.

Dwight told me a year or so ago that he was on vacation in Italy a while back
and he was in the city of Rome. In one of the public squares he heard a
clarinet player playing for the public. When Dwight came closer, he noticed
that the clarinet player played with the reed on top! So, indeed it is still
a reality. In Italy some clarinetists still play with the reed on top!

Although Dwight is retired he does conduct the Tulsa Community Band and he
plays in a clarinet quartet called CATS...Clarinet Association of Tulsa
Seniors. I think they came up with the name CATS first and then found
something, anything that would fit in for each letter. The other clarinet
players in that group are: Bill Viseur 2nd and Eb, Oakley Pitman 3rd
clarinet (resident arranger) and Gene Eland Bass Clarinet. Do you know any
of them?

It's interesting that you mentioned Bartlesville. I teach there one day a
week. I think Bartlesville has probably grown as a town with music over the
years. As Dan Leeson mentioned, each year for a couple of weeks in June,
Ransom Wilson conducts the OK Mozart Festival. This is an excllent festival
and brings in a great orchestra (from NY City) and big name soloists. A few
years ago David Shifrin performed with them. By the way, the clarinet
players in the OK Mozart Festival last year were Todd Levy and Dan Gilbert.
Dave Hattner mentioned a couple of days ago that Todd played in the Met a
while back and Dan Gilbert is the new Second clarinetist with the Cleveland
Orchestra.

Bartlesville also has a symphony orchestra. Many of the musicians are
emplyees of the Phillips Oil Company but the orchestra does often include
many musicians from Tulsa to help fill in the holes. They do sound quite
good. They also play in a great hall...much better than our performing arts
center here in Tulsa. I went up to Bartlesville a few months ago to hear
them perform with guest artist Eddie Daniels. The concert was lots of fun.
It was nice to hear Eddie perform from the audience perspective rather than
hearing him from a crappy monitor in the middle of the orchestra.

Indeed Bartlesville is a bit of a drive from Tulsa. About fifty or sixty
miles. But, now that the speed limit has been raised to seventy miles per
hour, the two cities seem much closer!

Take care,

Brad