Hot News April 2006
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29 April 2006
Clarinetist Pete Fountain awarded Honorary Doctorate degree
Loyola University – New Orleans, Louisiana USA
Jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain was awarded an honorary doctor of music at Loyola University of New Orleans'
graduation commencement ceremonies held Saturday, 29 April, commemorating his lifelong contribution in the Jazz
arena in this city. It's the second honorary degree Fountain has received. The College of Santa Fe presented
him with one in the 1960s.
The 75-year-old musician was hospitalized last month for quadruple bypass heart surgery. He had been ill
since before Mardi Gras. His Half Fast Marching Club made its annual trek down historic St. Charles Avenue
without him on Fat Tuesday for the first time in 46 years.
Pete Fountain, a New Orleans native, like many other victims of Katrina, lost his one-point-five million dollar
house in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, as well as his gold records, memorabilia and 10 musical instruments. His
New Orleans home also was damaged but has been repaired.
Depending on recovery from this serious operation, Fountain has plans to close out the New Orleans Jazz and
Heritage Festival on May 7th.
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8 April 2006
Stephen Williamson, principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Master Class at Rice University
Houston, Texas USA
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3 April 2006
“The Clarinet in Jerusalem” at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
Jerusalem, Israel
On Monday April 3rd at 6:00 PM a 6-day series of events entitled “The Clarinet in Jerusalem” drew to a close with a
concert at the Navon Auditorium in the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Building of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
The series was initiated by Eva Wasserman Margolis, chairperson of the Israel branch of the International Association of
Clarinetists and by Prof. Ilan Schul President of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Two visiting artists of
international renown, Dr. Robert Spring and Nathan Williams, both from the USA, were active participants in the events,
serving as judges for a competition of young clarinetists and performing at a recital held at the Jerusalem Music Center
last Thursday. The events included private lessons and master classes held at the Academy. The final concert featured the
winners of the competition held in memory of David Weber, an artist of the clarinet and teacher at the Julliard School of Music.
Sponsors included Selmer Inc. and Vandoren Inc. of Paris, Marom Musical Instruments, the Interlochen Academy of Arts
Michigan, Michael Lomax USA, and the Jerusalem Music Center at Mishkenot Sha’ananim.
Quote from David Weber
"The tone has to sound here the way it sounds out there and it has to be "wet" not dry…. You have to imagine it having
sparkle, color, depth and thickness. Think of velvet and chocolate."
David Weber, Jewish American Clarinetist who died this year at the age of 92.
Brief Biography:
David Weber (1913-2006) was an American classical clarinetist known for the beauty of his tone, his inspired playing, and his
influential teaching of the clarinet.David Weber was born in Vilna in present-day Lithuania and came to the United States in
1921. His family settled in Detroit. His parents were not musical. He liked the sound of clarinet. He took it up at the age of 11.
While in high school, he studied under Roy Schmidt and Alberto Luconi, principal clarinetists of the Detroit Symphony. Weber
then went to New York where he studied under Simeon Bellison, the New York Philharmonic's principal clarinetist, and Daniel
Bonade, principal clarinetist of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) Symphony.
Weber's orchestral career began when he did an audition in 1938 for Arturo Toscanini who hired him to play in the NBC
Symphony. Weber also played with New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, CBS Symphony, Symphony
of the Air, and New York City Ballet Orchestra.
He had a long interest in teaching clarinet and, after leaving the New York City Ballet Orchestra in 1986, devoted himself
to teaching at Columbia University and the Julliard School of Music. Many of his students became prominent clarinetists
themselves and teachers in the U.S. and other countries.
The jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman studied under Weber who said Goodman never paid him and took his best reeds, or so
the story goes.
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1 April 2006
John Cipolla Master Class Day with the Atlanta Clarinet Association
Atlanta, Georgia USA
John Cipolla, a well established professional having covered areas of classical, jazz, Broadway, chamber music and
Contemporary music, gave an intensive day of Master Classes and a performance in connection with the Atlanta Clarinet
Association and Conn-Selmer. Francois Bescond, Selmer Artist Director in the USA, was an integral part of this event.
John Cipolla is assistant professor of music (clarinet and saxophone) at Western Kentucky University. His new
compact disc, Misbehavin’—a jazz duo recording (clarinet & piano) with Kentucky jazz piano and clarinet legend, “Doc”
Livingston—has recently been released and is available through the web site, CDBaby.com. He has performed with The
Bowling Green/Western Symphony Orchestra, Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra, The Owensboro Symphony Orchestra,
Mozart on Fifth (a chamber woodwind trio), St. Luke’s String Quartet, Muir String Quartet, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble,
Brooklyn Philharmonic, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Greensboro Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, New York City Opera,
Meredith Monk Ensemble, Steve Reich Ensemble, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Liberace, Liza Minelli, Tony Bennett,
and Mario Bauza’s Latin Jazz Ensemble. John was a member of the New York City Broadway Show Cats Orchestra from
1992 to 2000 and has been a member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra in New York City since 1985. His
publications/recordings are on Sony, ECM New Series Records, G. Schirmer, Music Minus One, C.F. Peters Editions,
and numerous journals. He has served as a judge for the International Clarinet Association (I.C.A.) Young Artist competition
(2004) and the I.C.A. research competition (2004). John serves as a member of the I.C.A. Web Site Task Force. John’s education
includes: UNC Greensboro (DMA, clarinet performance), Rutgers (MM, clarinet performance), Eastman School of Music
(BM, saxophone performance), Juilliard School of Music (scholarship saxophone student of Joe Allard, 1980). John
has been recognized as the 2003/2004 Third District Kentucky Music Educators "College/ University Teacher of the Year.”
He was awarded a 2005 Western Kentucky University Junior Faculty Scholarship and First Prize at the 2003 International
Clarinet Association Research Presentation competition. He has performed at the Texas Tech University Clarinet Symposium
(2005), Wayland Baptist University (2005), The University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium (2004), The International
Clarinet Association (2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998), Tennessee Music Educators Conference, Kentucky Music Educators
Conference (2003), The College Music Society Southeast Chapter (2002) and the New York State Music Educators Association
(1999). In 2005/06, he performed recitals and/or master classes at Middle Tennessee State University, The University of South
Carolina, The University of North Carolina, The University of Louisville and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He performs
on Selmer Recital clarinets and Gonzalez reeds and is a Selmer Clarinet Performing Artist. John lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky with his
wife and two daughters.
1 April 2006
Eastern Conservatory 3rd Annual Clarinet Symposium with Mark Nuccio - NY Philharmonic
Bernardsville, New Jersey USA
This remarkable symposium held for its third successful year in this informal but artistically super effective
setting, is one of the highest standard events this spring. Faculty comprised of some of the finest artist teachers in
the New York / New Jersey area, including from the New York Philharmonic Mark Nuccio, Associate Solo Clarinetist /
Eb Clarinetist, Pascual Martinez Forteza, 2nd Clarinetist, David Hattner, Solo Clarinetist in the Princeton Symphony,
Karl Herman, Solo Clarinetist in the New Jersey Symphony, Robert DiLutis, Eb Clarinetist in the Rochester Philharmonic,
Ronald Reuben, retired Bass Clarinetist in the Philadelphia Orchestra, Maureen Hurd, Professor at Rutgers University,
Andrew Lamy, member of the New Jersey Symphony, Guy Chadash, formerly member of the Israel Philharmonic,
the Bonade Clarinet Quartet, the Cygnet Clarinet Quartet, comprised of students under Mr Lamy, and the Directors
Mark Sloss and Casey Bork of the Eastern Conservatory in New Jersey. Sessions were intensive in the Master Classes,
covering fundamentals of playing at various student levels, intensive orchestral coaching covering basic excerpts and in
one session with Nuccio and Pascual Forteza section playing emphasizing critical attention to ensemble matching and how
the 2nd Clarinetist supports the Solo Clarinetist in context inside the orchestra. One must be present to benefit from the
experience.
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Related topical lectures and seminars included from Maureen Hurd from Rutgers University a talk about fundamentals
of tone production and how to attain a goal in its production including embouchure, breath support, fingering fundamentals,
and pointers to use in its teaching. In addition Ms Hurd presented an informal lunch talk about Benny Goodman's classical
contribution with CD playbacks of works commissioned by him and seldom heard or known works.
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Robert DiLutis presented a session on the Art of Reedmaking with equipment and tools showing how to make from
scratch quality long lasting reeds from tubes all demonstrated with his specialized Reed Making Machine and related tools.
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Master Classes were conducted by Ronald Reuben, David Hattner, Karl Herman, and Mark Nuccio and Pascuali Foteza.
Performances included from the Bonade Clarinet Quartet, a student group Cygnet Clarinet Quartet, a special performance
of Peter Schickele's Monochrome III for 9 Clarinets, brilliantly performed by the above faculty. Unique and amazing was how
the performance was generated. David Hattner, conductor, gave out the parts to the 9 players, rehearsed over a 20 minute
period, then performed the work- to Lincoln Center standard, which shock overtook the participants. This was the high point
of the day. Many times it is mentioned about programs that may seem insignificent but this event was one not to be missed
by anyone serious about the clarinet. High credit is due to Mark Sloss and Casey Bork, Director of the Eastern
Conservatory.