Klarinet Archive - Posting 000061.txt from 2007/03

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevin.fay.home@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] gender and the clarinet
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:11:24 -0500

Margaret Thornhill posted:

<<<There are plenty of women clarinetists here with what Americans would
consider a beautiful sound. Shall we name names? I'll start with Michele
Zukofsky, solo clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, who
consistently plays with a gorgeous tone, on German system. Laura de
Luca, who plays chamber music in Seattle. Emily Bernstein, the late Los
Angeles studio player whose work is on many film sound tracks. In
Europe, Sharon Kam (Israeli and American trained) has a delightful
sound. Are we avoiding Sabine Meyer, or did I come into the discussion
too late? I've had women clarinetists in my own studio who probably lurk
on this list who had wonderful sounds, at least one of them playing
professionally in the San Francisco area who sounded like a dream even
at the age of 15. If we move away from the morass of "tone", we can talk
about the accomplishments of many other women clarinetists--Elsa
Verdehr, who has commissioned an entire range of literature for the
instrument. New music pioneers like Jean Kopperud and Laura Flax. And
three generations of English women clarinetists now living with
distinguished discographies and teaching careers.And lots of wonderful
young players trying to move up the difficult career ladder.

Time to get over it, Danyel. Your bias is a nail in the coffin of your
female students' hopes.

Leopold Wlach, pace his distinguished career is, not at all my ideal
sound. Well, it's all a question of taste, isn't it?>>>

Yeah, but clarinet is just a girly-horn. There's no way a woman could ever
play well enough to get a solo trombone chair in a German orchestra!

(. . . unless they use a screen, of course).

Didn't Abbie Conant's odyssey clear up this crap a decade ago?

For information on the VPO and their efforts to turn back time, see
http://www.iawm.org/vpowatch/.

kjf

------------------------------------------------------------------