Klarinet Archive - Posting 000606.txt from 2002/11

From: CBA <clarinet10001@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Alan Balter
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 23:57:14 -0500

Mark,

I unfortunately never did get to hear Alan play clarinet, as I
lived in Memphis before Atlanta, and Laura Ardan was principal
clarinet in the ASO when I got there.

In a rather interesting twist, I used to sing with the Memphis
Symphony Chorus with Alan directing the orchestra, as he was the
director of the MSO. He was quite an interesting and
accomplished conductor, as well as a pretty darn nice guy.

My mother in Memphis called me because she saw Alan's obituary
in the local paper. I had little contact with the Memphis
Symphony for the years following my move away from Memphis, so
it came as quite a shock to me, because I didn't know he was
sick.

He will be greatly missed. I do wish I could hear some of his
recordings now. Any ideas? What has he recorded solo? What years
was he actually with the ASO?

Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds - New York City
--- Mark Gresham <mgresham@-----.com> wrote:
> 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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