The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Newer Topic | Older Topic

The making of a soloist

Author: DrH2O
Date: 2007-06-12 16:24

As I learn more about the world of clarinetting I can't help but wonder by what path/chance/opportunity one gifted clarinetist ends up as a covetted soloist with a recording contract and the other as a jack-of-all trades eeking out an existance on a combination of teaching, part-time positions and local free-lance gigs.

One path to prominence is apparently virtuosity in extreme youth (ie Julian Bliss) or an avant-garde style (ie Martin Frost). But what of the others? Is it winning a prestigious audition, having the right mentor, having the right look, or even being the best musician? If you haven't "arrived" by a certain age are you out of luck?

How did some of the past and present "greats" (yes, I realize that's a subjective term) get to their eventual/current prominence? Has the path changed substantially in the digital age?

Anne
Clarinet addict

Reply To Message

Re: The making of a soloist

Author: sfalexi
Date: 2007-06-12 16:31

I think that winning of a prestigious audition or contest can definitely help. The person I'm thinking of is Charles Neidich who, in its biography, it even states that it was a series of contests that seemed to "launch" his career.

http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/neidich/bio.html

Alexi

Retired, playing more sax than clarinet, but still playing clarinet and still loving it!

Reply To Message

Avail. Forums | Threaded View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

The Clarinet Pages

For Sale
Put your ads for items you'd like to sell here. Free! Please, no more than two at a time - ads removed after two weeks.