Klarinet Archive - Posting 000202.txt from 2001/05

From: John Reeks <reeks@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] RE: Clarinetfest 2001 ... a few comments
Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 11:12:16 -0400

on 5/6/01 11:42 PM, J. Michael Norsworthy at mnorswor@-----.net wrote:

>
>> Oh, they're doing it again...having Ricardo open the festival. Could
>> they have possibly chosen a tougher act to follow?
>
> I have to say that I agree with you Niel. Ricardo is a tough act to follow.
> He's a great player, however, I'm frequently bothered that the Clarinet
> Festivals in past years have been centered around certain people, i.e.
> Morales, Daniels, Combs, Sabine Meyer, etc... These are certainly GREAT
> players and I respect them all VERY much, but I think that there are a LOT
> more clarinet players out there who would love the opportunity to play at
> some of these and I feel that they're not really given the chance because of
> the preoccupation with these few great players.
>
> I would like to see a more varied ClarinetFest, and one that focuses more on
> the music of our time. At the various flute and saxophone conventions, over
> a dozen premieres usually occur. The ORGANIZATION actually does the
> commissioning for a good number of these pieces, as well as the annual
> competition (which the ICA DOES have). The works of Weber, Brahms, Mozart,
> Spohr, etc... are all exceptional and they form the backbone of our
> literature but there's SO MUCH MORE out there.
>
> What about having players like David Smeyers, Alain Damiens, Ernesto
> Molinari, Hans Deinzer, Mike Lowenstern, Paul Meyer, and Eduard Brunner? (to
> name just a small few) What about having the ICA commission works to be
> premiered at the festival? What about a new music competition done my the
> ICA? What about a chamber music competition? Anybody else have any more
> ideas?
>
> I'm just amazed at the differences between our organization and say the
> National Flute Association or the Saxophone conferences, not to mention
> those of the string or vocal world. Isn't there something we can do to
> spruce these things up?
>
> Just a few thoughts and all said IMHO. I don't mean to offend anyone, but
> nothing gets done by closing your mouth.
>
> --Michael
>
>
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I'm glad to see that clarinet players are checking with the web site for the
latest developments on ClarinetFest 2001. When you look at the schedule of
events, I hope you will see how this convention is NOT a continuation of the
status quo.
It would be a crime to not present guests like Larry Combs and Ricardo
Morales, because of their great artistry. You need to hear players like
this as often as possible to appreciate what a great clarinet sounds like,
just like you can look at a rose every day and still enjoy its beauty.
However, we are so happy that we can also feature artists that have been
featured at recent ClarinetFests. For example, we are presenting Karl
Leister, Franklin Cohen, Kjell-Inge Stevensson, and Seiji Yokokawa. In the
jazz field, we are showcasing the best of the young artists, Like Frank
Glover, Ken Peplowski, Tim Laughlin, Evan Christopher and Michael White,
along with favorites like Pete Fountain and Buddy DeFranco. We also tried to
find orchestral players like David Peck and Ken Grant who can't usually
perform at ClarinetFest because of the (usual) July date.
We changed many other things, too, in a break from the past. You mentioned
the International Flute Association's convention. We consulted the host of
their 1995 convention to see how we could change the way we do things at
ClarinetFest. You may have noticed that we are holding it at a hotel, not a
college campus. Instead of just having Master Classes, we are presenting
career workshops on subjects like marketing yourself, and how to get a
clarinet job, etc. The fact that we are having it in New Orleans is a huge
difference: many people are bringing their families along.
As far as new music, you will see more of it at this convention than ever
before. In addition to new works that performers will program, we are also
featuring the 2000 AND 2001 ICA Composition Competition winning works, the
world premiere of Libby Larsen's latest piece, and a special commission of a
work by William O. Smith, to be performed by a multitude of performers (Be
ready to play!).
So if you look at the schedule of events, I think you will agree that we are
presenting an awesome mix of the old and the new. We want to "kick this up
a notch" and make our ClarinetFest an event to match and surpass those of
the flute association. Come see what we're doing at the New Orleans Hilton
Rivercenter, August 15-19.
John Reeks
Co-Host, ClarinetFest 2001

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