Klarinet Archive - Posting 000208.txt from 2001/05

From: "Buckman, Nancy" <nebuckman@-----.us>
Subj: RE: [kl] RE: Clarinetfest 2001 ... a few comments
Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 14:50:31 -0400

<<<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

Just a few words in defense of the organizers of ClarinetFest. This
convention does not have the history behind it that the NFA Convention does.
However, it seems to me that the yearly gathering of clarinetists is getting
bigger and better as time passes. Every year I try to attend ClarinetFest,
the NFA Convention and the annual gathering of the International Double Reed
Society. To be quite frank, I am grateful for the differences in the three
meetings more so than for their likenesses. It was absolutely amazing last
year to see a child bring down the house at ClarinetFest. An even greater
amazement was the continuous chatter about that performance.

I am pleased to see the organizers of this year's Fest adding more new
music, an opportunity for performance for those amateurs who cannot stay
until the last day, all the opportunities to hear and learn about jazz
culture and performance (which has always been a weak point for me), in
addition to the new names and faces with whom I am unfamiliar. Yes NFA is
huge and mind-blowing, but ClarinetFest is much more "personal". I find it
easier to get closer to the big name people when I have questions that I
want answered and the security issue is not as prevalent as at NFA. The
Flute List dinner is so much more formal than the get-together that Mark
puts together for us. It is mighty intimidating being an unknown in the
exhibit hall and trying to test flutes when you have all these professional
people playing excerpts of some of the most difficult stuff while you
struggle with scales and arpeggios and try not to make a fool of yourself.
ClarinetFest is a much friendlier place. I have watched some of those
big-name people step in and lend a hand to the common man in our exhibit
hall.

I think all in all, ClarinetFest is growing at an acceptable pace and is
attempting to add bigger and better things in an orderly fashion. I am
really looking forward to this year's gathering and am champing at the bit
to go the Sweden in 2002. See you there!

Nancy

Nancy E. Buckman, Technical Assistant
School of Health Professions, Wellness and Physical Education
Anne Arundel Community College
Arnold, Maryland 21012 USA
Phone 410-541-2316 Fax 410-541-2233
nebuckman@-----.us

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Reeks [SMTP:reeks@-----.edu]
> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 11:12 AM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: Re: [kl] RE: Clarinetfest 2001 ... a few comments
>
> 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!).
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