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March 2011 Hot News
26 March 2011
Wai Lau, Clarinet
Winner - Harold Wright Clarinet Merit Award - 2011 - Competition
held in Boston, Massachusetts 26 March 2011, sponsored by the
Boston Woodwind Society
Boston, Massachusetts USA
Born in Beijing, China in 1986, Wai Lau started playing the piano at age
7, and later the clarinet at age 13. She won numerous competitions in
Hong Kong in the next few years, including First Prize in Hong Kong
region in the 2nd Asian Youth Music Competition. Wai completed her
Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance with distinction in 2008 at
Indiana University under the tutelage of James Campbell, and was awarded
the prestigious Performer's Certificate. While studying in Indiana, she
played with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Bloomington
Camerata Orchestra. She received her Master of Music in 2010 from McGill
University studying with Robert Crowley and Alain Desgagne on the
Schulich Scholarship. Wai performed a recital in Lodz, Poland in
November 2008 as a finalist of the 7th Alexandre Tansman International
Competition. In August 2010 she was awarded Grand Prize in the Canadian
National Music Festivals Competition. She has engaged in chamber music
series at the Festival of the Sound, the Banff Centre, and the Orford
Arts Centre. Wai is currently pursuing her Artist Diploma at the Yale
School of Music with David Shifrin. She also works as a teaching artist
under the Yale Music in Schools Initiative.
BOSTON WOODWIND SOCIETY MERIT AWARDS
Boston Woodwind
Society has established merit awards to honor the artistry and
achievements of five legendary woodwind musicians. The awards are
presented annually to outstanding young students hoping to fulfill their
dreams of entering the world of professional players. Selected through
open competitions by woodwind artists and faculty members of leading
schools of music, each recipient of an award receives a cash prize of
$1,000. The purpose of these awards is to encourage and to recognize
achievements of high standards of musical integrity and artistry as
exemplified by the artists for whom the awards have been named.
25 March 2011
Major Master Class Day at
Westminster Choir College with
Stanley Drucker,
Solo Clarinetist Emeritus of the
New York
Philharmonic
Princeton, New Jersey USA
A rather incredible Day convened with the appearance of legend Clarinetist Dr
Stanley Drucker with 2 Master Classes and a performance of the Luciano Berio
Sequenza IX for Solo Clarinet, one of many Sequenzas written for all the
instruments. In talking about this series of pieces, Drucker was involved
in the total instrumental premiere where the concert lasted over 4 hours.
The first Class was a reading first time of compositions by faculty and
composition students with analytical rehearsal about each piece. The works
were difficult, and sight reading them for the first time was a rather
inspirational challenge. Drucker missed nothing regardless of the
difficulty and provided insightful critiques to the composers and those who
listened with scores in hand to follow the pieces as they were played. It
was an amazing session where being put on the spot can be a challenge for
anyone. The 2nd Class was held after his performance of the Berio,
and included four students who were coached on their prepared pieces. The
gallery above shows the program. All were advanced and were
receptive to the lesson they were given.
Mr Drucker has become quite active in going on University campuses in
performance and Classes, and everyone within range should make it their priority
to work with him given his near-god status as a Clarinetist and teacher.
Within a week on 2 April, he will be at Ithaca College for a major recital and
Master Classes again.
21 March 2011
Vandoren
Emerging Artists Competition held through 21 March 2011 - Clarinet
Prize winner Emil Khudyev |
Chicago, Illinois USA
The first Competition of its kind by Vandoren
(DANSR) in the United States was held over a
3 month period encompassing all the woodwinds. Major players judged and selected
the winners who will get prized and given valuable performance opportunities and
an expense paid trip to Paris to the Vandoren headquarters. Information
above in the galleries with more information forthcoming. President of
DANSR Michael Skinner and David Gould, both WKA Artist VIP's ran this program.
18 March 2011
International Clarinet Choir
Concert in New York, Timothy Phillips, Soloist in Premiere arrangement of
Vivaldi Concerto in A Minor, Seung-ho Choi, Conductor
New York City USA
A superlative concert was performed in New York this Friday evening with an
advanced group of Clarinetists with Dr Timothy Phillips, Professor at Troy State
University in Alabama, and a WKA Officer Artist VIP performing an arrangement
Premiere of the Vivaldi Concerto in A Minor for Violin and Orchestra. More
information on the program is forthcoming and will be posted later.
18 March 2011
Cleveland, Ohio USA
A major Solo and Chamber Music program, the 2nd in two months, included standard
works for recital as posted in the program above in the galleries. Two
major colleagues, Sergei Babayan, Pianist and faculty at the Cleveland
Institute, and Amir Eldan, 'Cellist, from the Oberlin Conservatory, performed to
incredible perfection and energy on this program. A near full house
attended with standing ovation after the concert attesting to artistry rare on
campuses. Mr Cohen is a master icon near the likes of his teacher
and mentor Stanley Drucker with many years of similar experience as soloist and
principal in the Cleveland Orchestra. He is slated to perform the Weber
2nd Clarinet Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Music Festival
August 28th 2011.
5 - 6 March 2011
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) 9th Clarinet Retreat Symposium
with Guest Artists Dr Anne Watson, Dr Christy Banks,
Jessica Lindsay, and others - Dr Denise Gainey, Director
Birmingham, Alabama USA
Dr Anne Watson
in Master Class with several Students
Dr Christy
Banks and Jessica Lindsay on Music for 2 Clarinets and Duet Playing
The recitals and Master Class with Dr Anne
Watson was interesting and comprehensive to benefit each student who played various pieces for her and the
participants. An interesting session about Duet Playing was given by Dr Cindy
Banks and Jessica Lindsay and all the positive aspects in how it develops
players and increases their abilities and confidence. Handouts were given
out which listed a huge variety of music available.
Recitals
including Denise Gainey and Anne Watson, Katrina and Timothy Phillips, and
Watson in Performance
Clarinet Choir activity with 3 Choirs rehearsing and performing two concerts
conducted by Director Dr Denise Gainey, and the Shades Valley High School
Clarinet Choir conducted by Graduate Assistant Jack Rudisell, and for the Finale
concert David Allinder and Gregory Gumina to an near overflow crowd coming to
hear this in the Band Rehearsal Hall.
Programs and detailed information is galleried throughout this summary.
Displays of clarinets were available for all to try including mouthpieces,
barrels, and bells. Sheet music was displayed by the
ArtsMusic
Shop as well.
This as the 9th year and having been evolving into a major event, credit is due
to Dr Gainey for its success. In 2012 she will be Assistant Director of
the ClarinetFest being held at the University of Nebraska with Dr Diane Barger.
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