Klarinet Archive - Posting 000496.txt from 2002/11

From: Mark Gresham <mgresham@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Alan Balter (was: Re: [kl] Tone Color -- For Dan)
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 23:55:24 -0500

Anne Lenoir wrote:
>
> Alan Balter was a wonderful clarinetist and friend of mine in Oberlin,
> though he graduated before me, I think back in 1966. [...]
> He went on to play Principal Clarinet
> in the Atlanta Symphony, and my friend, Larry Guy, who graduated from
> Oberlin in 1968, played 2nd clarinet with Alan for a short time.

I also knew Alan in Atlanta, when he was 1st clarinet with Atlanta
Symphony.
At the time he arrived (based on Anne's chronology) the ASO had
players out in the field to make for "full time" work and "outreach," so
Alan was also involved in my high school (before I attended, while my
brother was there) as a band director -- so we have yearbook photos of
him with a crewcut, which rapidly changed in the next few years when he
no longer did the "band" gig.
The more intersting part about that, however, was that Alan's drum
major for the high school band was George Manahan (1968), who went on
eventually to conduct Richmond Symphony and is now Music Director of New
York City Opera.
So buried around here somewhere, we have these early pictures of Alan
and George as teacher and student.
I was also fortunate to have *once* performed in a *choral* work with
Alan conducting: Brahms' "Alto Rhapsody" (alto solo, men's chorus,
orcehstra) while in college. Given some of the circumstances in the
university's choral program at the time, it was a great relief to have
him on the podium for that concert.

--
Mark Gresham, composer
mgresham@-----.com/
Lux Nova Press http://www.luxnova.com/
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