Klarinet Archive - Posting 000551.txt from 2000/03

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] major clarinettist
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 22:59:40 -0500

> > SO...maybe she hasn't been "allowed" to become a
> > "Major star" because it has taken longer for her
> > to gain acceptance, because she is a woman. Food
> > for thought.
>
> Whether it's a women's lib issue or not, I'd still like
> to know which criteria others include when they think about
> what makes a clarinetist a "major star." I don't have a
> clear response to this myself, but I do know that Zukovsky
> only occurred to me fleetingly during the little guessing
> game, because I didn't consider her a "BIG, MAJOR 10-out-
> of-10" clarinetist when also considering Morales, Manasse,
> Shifrin, Combs, Drucker, Gigliotti, Cohen, etc. Principal
> position in a major orchestra? Recordings? Faculty at a
> major conservatory? All three? None of the above? What
> makes a major star?
>
> -- Neil
>

Gee, it really seems that the only major clarinetists are from east of the
Mississippi (and a couple from Europe)... ONE person from the west was
named (Mitchell Lurie). Considering she has one of the longest tenures of a
principal clarinetist in a major American orchestra, I'd say she is pretty
major.

She has a couple recordings, has commissioned/premiered/second performance
major works, she is faculty at USC (one of our country's major music
schools). What more do you want?

Sorry for getting involved with this pointless argument about semantics.

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Freelance Clarinetist and Recording Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

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