Musical Chairs: Steve Williamson and the Chicago Symphony

The word from Facebook's "Clarinet Jobs" is that Steve Williamson has been offered the position of principal clarinet in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  This may be the final chapter of a saga that has been ongoing since January of 2008 (!) when preliminary auditions were first held to fill the vacancy left by Larry Combs' retirement at the end of that season.  Steve Williamson, trained at Eastman and Juilliard, has been principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera since 2003.  He has not yet accepted the position and there has been no official announcement from the CSO.

If you're on Facebook, you can view the discussion here.

This thread on the Clarinet BBoard continues the conversation, including a cameo from Anthony McGill.

The selection of the next CSO principal clarinet has generated much discussion in the three and a half years since the audition process began.  Clarinetists at the BBoard and Clarinet Jobs (not to mention late-night ClarinetFest debates) have had plenty to say about those who auditioned, those who didn't, Ricardo Morales declining the position, and the state of orchestral auditions and performing positions in general.  For further reading, you might wish to check out this Clarinet BBoard thread from 2008 - an interesting look back at the history of this process.

Musical Chairs? Ricardo Morales and the New York Philharmonic

Speculation about Ricardo Morales becoming principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic has been in the air at least since he turned down the Chicago Symphony position last year.  Now, he has officially been offered the position (according to this NY Times blog post) and it remains to be seen whether Morales will accept this offer to succeed Stanley Drucker as principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic. 

Philadelphia would certainly be sorry to lose him -- this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer makes that clear, and also raises questions about the orchestral audition process in general.  And as always, the discussion at the Clarinet BBoard is ongoing, including a claim that Morales has already accepted the position, and another that he will actually be joining the Miami Heat instead.  :) 

We'll keep watching the BBoard and the Clarinet Jobs Facebook group for further developments.  In the meantime, check out this interview to learn more about Morales, his family, and the evolution of his musical career.

Clarinet at the Grammys: Paquito D'Rivera and Derek Bermel

The 52nd annual Grammy Awards are tomorrow, and we thought we'd take a look at the clarinet-related nominations.

Clarinetist and composer Paquito D'Rivera has been nominated in two categories: "Best Classical Crossover Album" for his new album JaZZ-ClaZZ, and "Best Instrumental Composition" for the track "Borat in Syracuse" on the same album. JaZZ-ClaZZ is the result of a collaboration between D'Rivera and Sabine Meyer's Trio di Clarone. Listeners familiar with D'Rivera's composition Aires Tropicales for woodwind quintet will recognize several of the movements (including "Dizzyness" and "Vals Venezolano") arranged here for clarinets.

The January 27, 2010 edition of PRI's "The World" included a nice feature on Paquito D'Rivera including an interview and audio clips from the album. Listen to streaming audio or download the podcast here.

Syracuse University has posted an article about the commissioning and premiere of "Borat in Syracuse" by D'Rivera and SU’s Morton B. Schiff Ensemble.

Another Grammy nomination goes to Gil Rose, Derek Bermel and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project in the category "Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (With Orchestra)" for Bermel's performance of his own Voices, for Solo Clarinet and Orchestra.

Here's the full list of nominees from the Grammy Awards website. Best of luck to our clarinet friends tomorrow!

Pamela Weston: Heroine of Clarinettistry

It is with sadness that we note the passing of Pamela Weston, one of the world's foremost researchers and writers on the clarinet. Weston is well-known for her excellent books about clarinetists: Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past (1971), More Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past (1977), Clarinet Virtuosi of Today (1989), Yesterday's Clarinetists: A Sequel (2002), and Heroes and Heroines of Clarinettistry (2008). She wrote numerous articles for journals and magazines, each one beautifully written and a joy to read. Weston combined a talent for writing with a dedication to research, creating a collection of writings about the clarinet and its players which will be valued by the clarinet world for many years to come. She is a true "Heroine of Clarinettistry."

A letter written by Pamela Weston before her death by assisted suicide, and explaining her decision, was published in the UK Times Online and can be found here. A second obituary was run by the Guardian newspaper on Oct. 8th, 2009.

Another article has been posted to the "Action for M.E." website, and there is also a Clarinet BBoard thread going about Pamela Weston. Most of her books can be purchased through Van Cott Information Services, Inc.

Stanley Drucker Retires from NY Philharmonic

This has been the week to recognize the incredible career of Stanley Drucker as he makes his last solo appearance with the New York Philharmonic performing the Copland Concerto. Drucker's accomplishments include being appointed principal clarinetist of the Indianapolis Symphony at the age of 16, two Grammy nominations, the premiere of the Corigliano Concerto, 59 performances of the Copland Concerto with the New York Philharmonic, and being named Musical America’s 1998 Instrumentalist of the Year. He will retire after this season at the age of 80.



In addition to the AP video above, Drucker's retirement has received quite a bit of media coverage, so we'll try to sum it up here:

• A fantastic June 4 New York Times article discusses the life and accomplishments of Drucker, noting that he has performed with the ensemble for 60 years (longer than any other musician in the history of the ensemble), nearly 50 of them as principal clarinetist.
• A June 5 NY Times review of the farewell concert mentions that Drucker has set a record for "longest career as a clarinetist," as he has been performing professionally for over 62 years.
• A fascinating June 2 radio piece on NPR's Morning Edition features clips of Drucker's playing, and thoughts from Drucker, Mark Nuccio, John Corigliano. At over 7 minutes, this is a must listen for clarinetists! The page also includes several audio selections of Drucker performing with the New York Philharmonic: The Copland Concerto in 1989 (selection ends after the cadenza), the Corigliano Concerto (first movement) from 1977, and the Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie from 1961.
  
• A May 31 AP article includes comments from interviews with Drucker and Zubin Mehta.
• A May 26 Wall Street Journal article covers the upcoming concert and Drucker's life and career. Drucker reflects on the various conductors he has worked with, and the early years when the orchestra was all-male and "like a private club backstage," complete with poker and cigars.
• Stanley Drucker by the Numbers has statistics about Drucker's career.
  
• The NY Philharmonic site includes a biography and and interview with Drucker from 2002.
  
• Drucker's most popular video on YouTube is a live telecast of Drucker playing the Weber Concertino with the New York Philharmonic in 1989 (and the rather awkward Hugh Downs interview with Drucker afterwards!)

And finally, here is a video of Drucker discussing the Copland Concerto, posted on the New York Philharmonic's YouTube channel.

Anthony McGill at the Inauguration

Just in case you missed it, here is the performance of the John Williams work "Air and Simple Gifts" by Anthony McGill, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of Barack Obama.



EDIT: It has come to our attention that this was not a live performance, but was actually pre-recorded. Read the New York Times article about it here.

Wii Clarinet

We've all seen people spend hours perfecting their technique for "Guitar Hero." Well, now gamers can pretend to play the clarinet, too! This is the clarinet trailer for Wii Music, part of a series that also includes flute, violin, and even harp. It appears that this virtual clarinet is played using only two buttons. It doesn't really look that fun, but could be a nice distraction for those times when the real clarinet just seems too difficult.

Artie Shaw's clarinets up for auction

John Moran Auctioneers will be featuring items from Artie Shaw's personal collection (including paintings, his saxophone, and yes, his clarinets) at an auction in Pasadena, CA on Tuesday, September 16. Their feature page about the items includes a biography of Artie Shaw and two videos showcasing the talents of Shaw in vintage film footage as well as information about the instruments and the paintings. Have some extra cash laying around? You can participate in the auction online, but be prepared: Shaw's Selmer B-flat clarinet, pictured here, is worth an estimated $10,000 to $20,000 dollars.