Clarinet Dissertations Online (Sept. 2013 Column)

Many dissertations which sat for years in obscurity on the granting institution’s library shelf are now being digitized and made publicly available.  A process which used to involve filling out an interlibrary loan request and waiting several weeks is now as easy as downloading a PDF.  In this column, we explore online resources for finding full-text digital versions of clarinet theses and dissertations.

Graduate students and faculty researchers will find these resources useful to survey scholarly literature about clarinet-related topics, but they are not just for academics.  At a time when much dubious information is available on the Internet, theses and dissertations provide a trustworthy source for information that has been thoroughly reviewed and approved by a student’s major professor, university committee and deans or other school officials. These documents are a logical place to turn when looking for more information than Wikipedia or articles in past issues of The Clarinet can provide.

One of the largest open-access databases for scholarly research is the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD). This international organization’s website yields a listing of over 2,500 full-text electronic theses and dissertations involving the clarinet. Although it is bit tricky to navigate at first, begin your search for clarinet-related documents by clicking the “Find ETDs” on the home page. From there you will utilize the “Scirus ETD Search” located a few paragraphs down. Here, a helpful side-menu offers keyword suggestions to refine searches or you can limit your search with additional keywords of your choosing. Each document’s entry is linked to the respective university’s database, from which you can access the full text directly. The "Find ETDs" page also has a list of links to other databases that may be helpful in an extended search.

Many university libraries are beginning to post full-text dissertations that are publicly accessible through their websites. These individual university databases often overlap with NTLTD, but may have more up-to-date collections.

A few examples are the University of Rochester, with digital dissertations from Eastman students beginning from 2008; and Florida State University, which grants access to electronic theses and dissertations dating back to 2003. The OhioLINK ETD Center currently lists over sixty-five dissertations involving the clarinet from Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, and Bowling Green State University.  The UNT Digital Libraries contain full-text dissertations of clarinetists who received their DMA from the University of North Texas from 2000 to the present. UNT was one of the earliest institutions to begin requiring electronic submission of theses and dissertations (along with West Virginia University and Vanderbilt University), so its collection is extensive.

EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) is a database of numerous participating UK institutions with several dissertations on the clarinet available to download. To access the digitized documents, you must complete the free registration process. Although many of the documents are open to the public, the required programs necessary to view these documents include Adobe Acrobat Reader and software to unzip the compressed files. In addition to the free downloading options, you can also order paper copies (bound or unbound) and CD/DVDs of dissertations for a fee.

Electronic dissertation records have the added benefit of including supplemental audio and visual materials. Michele Ann Bowen Hustedt’s 2010 University of Iowa dissertation “The Life and Career of Himie Voxman” includes a film of her interview with Voxman, while Ray Wheeler’s 1967 study of clarinet tongue position through X-ray analysis is now available through the University of Rochester’s website, including the original videos collected as part of the research. Many clarinetists are also now posting their own dissertations for public viewing on their personal websites, including Rachel Yoder’s 2010 dissertation on interactive computer music for clarinet together with a supplemental spreadsheet of interactive works.

There are countless theses and dissertations accessible on the Internet and we have touched upon only a few. If you have a link or web address to your full-text dissertation and would like us to add it our blog posting of this column, please email your information to clarinetcache@gmail.com.  Thanks to Tracey Paddock for suggesting this topic!

Updates:

Allison Yacoub, who teaches clarinet at Morgan State University, has sent a link to her University of Maryland dissertation "Compositions for Clarinet Influenced by Non-Western European Musical Traditions".

Tracey Paddock sent a link to her Florida State University dissertation, "A Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Clarinetists."

The Mpingo Tree

Many of us realize that the world's supply of grenadilla wood is diminishing everyday; however, we might never stop to ponder the ecological and social concerns associated with the harvesting of the African blackwood tree, also known as the mpingo tree. One interesting article tackling this subject, "The Dark Side of Music: Clarinets, Woodwinds and the Mpingo Tree," posted by the Buffalo Story Project, delves into the business side of illegal gathering of the wood and how it affects not only the commercial components of the business, but also the natives who tend to the land.

As mentioned in the article and in a previous Clarinet Cache post, one organization dedicated to saving the mpingo tree is Clarinets For Conservation. Supporters for this cause reach the children of Tanzania by teaching them about the importance of conservation and gives them the opportunity to learn how to play the clarinet. Visit their website to learn more on how you can help save the mpingo tree and become a sponsor for their organization.

Website Watch (June 2013 Column)

Paula Corley’s Clarinet City

Educator and performer Paula Corley has a personal website designed to help students and teachers alike. Easy to navigate and filled with bright and colorful photographs, this site is a wonderful resource with numerous educational materials available in various formats. Not only is Corley an author of two great method books geared towards the beginner player, but she is also an artist clinician and clarinet professor at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas.

All of the articles found on the site are beneficial to teachers, students, and performers. In her article “Why Johnny Can’t Play: Expanding the Master/Apprentice Model” from her presentation at the 2010 ClarinetFest, Corley outlines how to devise lesson plans and assess a student’s level of learning and progress. Here she gives valuable advice on how to improve the dynamic involved in the teacher/student relationship. Both her middle school and high school master class articles include technical exercises that focus on long tones and articulations exercises appropriate for each age group.

Offering advice to her readers, the site also has an “Ask Paula” section where Corley gives in-depth answers to readers’ questions on topics such as tone quality, intonation, articulation, and technique. In her responses to readers’ inquiries, you can get a feel for her teaching style and her knowledgeable approach to tackling tough issues.  We look forward to reading more of her advice posts in the future!

Teaching blogs
Many clarinet teachers now have basic websites with biographical info, photos, audio or video recordings, and a few links to resources for their students. Others go a bit further using their websites as blogs to communicate information, resources, or thoughts to their students.  

Alice Gallagher, a Juilliard graduate who teaches in the San Diego area, has a blog that pulls together items like videos of performances (both historical and modern players), excerpts from her own practice journal, and her own writings on clarinet playing and clarinet history.  Chastine Hofmeister, who studied at the University of North Texas and now teaches and performs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, uses her blog to post inspirational messages, thoughts on books about practice and performance, clarinet events such as the Texas Clarinet Colloquium, and glimpses into the life of a freelance clarinetist.  

Both of these are great examples of the use of a personal website to enhance the work teachers do in the studio. Private teaching can be a lonely affair; long hours spent in small rooms teaching one-on-one can make one long for other forms of communication and higher-level discourse.  A clarinet blog can be a great way for the private teacher to reach out not only to his or her students, but to the larger clarinet community.

Pedagogy 2.0: An Exploration of 21st-Century Innovations in Clarinet Teaching (March 2013 Column)

Through our research over the past four years for this column and blog, we have been on the forefront of developments in online clarinet resources, and we have encountered countless examples of innovative uses for the Internet and mobile technology to teach clarinet. This column is based on our presentation at ClarinetFest 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska and in it we explore a variety of resources and techniques for integrating technology into clarinet instruction.  Most of these require only internet access and can be immediately implemented by teachers looking to augment their traditional teaching style.  

Sheet Music Sharing Sites

The Internet is a continually expanding repository of valuable resources for clarinetists. It is now easier and cheaper for both teachers and students to explore scores through public-domain sheet music sharing sites, with access to print music from any computer. In our Sept. 2009 column, we went in depth on the one of the largest sheet music resources, International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP).  Since our first report on the site, IMSLP has reorganized their instrumentation listing of works, making it easier to navigate. The site lists around 150 solo clarinet works with piano and 52 unaccompanied pieces. The increase in chamber music entries is difficult to calculate due to the nearly 500 listings of ensembles involving the clarinet.  

While many websites offer a general collection of sheet music, The Clarinet Institute of Los Angeles is specifically tailored for the clarinetist.  Managed by David Shorr, this website has numerous videos, MIDI files, and recordings. The site currently offers a DVD containing over 840 PDF files of clarinet music for only $13.50-- an unbeatable price for that amount of music! It has recently widened its instrumental spectrum to include similar discs with sheet music for wind quintet, all band instruments, recorder, and stringed instruments.

Oliver’s (mostly) Clarinet Music Page is also a great source for sheet music. Here, Oliver Seely has formatted chamber music parts into MIDI and MUS files, allowing you to print the music and download parts into music software programs such as Finale or Smart Music for accompanimental playback. The downside to using these types of files is the lack of articulation and dynamic markings. If you don’t have Finale, try visiting Mark Charette’s “mirror” of Seely’s page. Charette, who is also the webmaster of Woodwind.org, has translated the Finale notation files into PDF format, allowing more viewers access to the music.

Audio

As a teacher, it can be frustrating when students continually turn to random YouTube videos for reference recordings of works. Several services can help you to provide better audio resources to your students, making it easy for teacher and student alike to research new repertoire and compare interpretations.  

          

Many colleges and universities pay to subscribe to the Naxos Music Library, which can be a valuable tool in the classroom or applied lesson setting.  With a wide variety of recordings from the Naxos label and many other labels, it is easy to create playlists of repertoire for study.  Students can even listen to playlists from their mobile device with the Naxos Music Library mobile application.

           

Sound Cloud is a web platform for streaming and sharing audio.  One possible use for this website would be to post recordings of student performances and use the “timed comments” feature to provide commentary at specific moments during the recording.  

Spotify is a streaming subscription service that can be downloaded for free, with upgrades available for mobile access and premium content.  It is easy to create and share playlists; find a sampling of the clarinet recordings available by checking out our ClarinetFest 2012 playlist. Spotify is recommended here with reservations, as the low artist royalties they pay have been a contention with many whose record labels allowed the service to have access to their music.  

Instant Encore is a source for streaming video and audio uploaded by artists themselves.  It is primarily a promotional tool for artists, but the quality and depth of information provided about the works and artists make this a place to be sure to search when looking for reference recordings. See our Sept. 2011 column on streaming video for more information about InstantEncore.

Video

We wrote in our previous column about the Rico Reeds website, but we’d like to add a few more details from our presentation. Rico has a wonderfully produced website with numerous videos of their sponsored artists presenting mini-master classes and interviews both on the homepage and in “The Lesson Room” section.

Several videos of the late David Etheridge show him teaching and demonstrating a sampling of fundamental concepts from his book “A Practical Approach to the Clarinet.” These videos are excellent tools for learning about hand position and other basic concepts.  Michele Gingras is another featured Rico artist with 23 videos available on their site. Gingras offers performance strategies and tips for more advanced players in her video series that accompanies her book 52 Clarinet Secrets.  Here you will see her demonstrate exercises on how to increase tongue speed, how to form an embouchure, and other tips found in her book. Lawrie Bloom’s instructional videos on bass clarinet are geared to the beginner player and cover fundamental topics such as instrument assembly, breaking in reeds, and articulation.  

YouTube is a mega-platform that has countless videos of note for clarinetists. While we’ve mentioned them before in our columns, we’d like to put the spotlight on two clarinetists who have produced high-quality instructional videos that stand out. Tom Ridenour has over 96 videos on his YouTube channel and on them he shares his philosophies on playing double-lip, reed finishing, and other various topics. Peruvian clarinetist Marco Mazzini’s channel has several instructional videos in both English and Spanish, as well as footage of live performances of modern and standard pieces for both soprano and bass clarinets.

Multimedia

We blogged about Kyle Coughlin’s Clarinet Space in a post from 2009, and it still stands out as a multimedia resource for clarinet teachers.  The Flash-based “Pitch Name Game” is a fun way for younger students to learn to recognize pitches on a staff, and the interactive fingering charts with sound help students to hear if they are playing the notes correctly.  Music Teacher’s Helper has become a popular tool for private instructors; for a low monthly fee it handles scheduling, does automatic invoicing, accepts credit card payments, and allows students and parents to log in to their accounts from home. Online metronomes have been in existence for many years, but several now have additional rhythmic training options. Students without an electronic metronome or mobile app can always use BestMetronome.com or other online metronomes to keep time when practicing at home.

Social Networking

Social networking is not only useful for establishing professional connections, but can also serve as a platform for open educational or pedagogical discussions. On Facebook many group pages are dedicated to the clarinet.  You may remember our interview with James Zimmerman back in Sept. 2008 about his Facebook group “Clarinet Jobs,” which serves as a sounding board for orchestral and band vacancies, audition tips, and discussion of audition repertoire.  Many university teachers are now utilizing Facebook to share information with students through studio pages, stay connected with individual students, and even recruit new students.

           

The Clarinet BBoard on Woodwind.org has been mentioned in several of our blog posts and our March 2009 column, but it is worth mentioning again as it continues to be one of the largest and most popular forums for sharing clarinet information. Twitter is another previously mentioned web application that we want to highlight because of its capacity to reach large audiences and its nature of immediacy. In 140 characters or less, a person can use their cell phone to tweet about upcoming events, performances, or to ask other people questions in real time. Two clarinetists who have secured a large following on Twitter include Anthony McGill and Michael Lowenstern. Of course, we also tweet about ClarinetFest and new blog posts on Twitter as @ClarinetCache.

           

The last web site listed, 8notes.com, is geared toward younger musicians and contains not only social network forums, but also free sheet music and numerous music theory lessons.  The site offers free music and lessons on almost every instrument; however, the musical content consists mainly of simple folk tunes and popular music.  Members can register and upload any kind of music to share with others, or make request for scores.  

Live Online Instruction

As bandwidth increases and video quality improves, many instructors have begun offering lessons online via Skype or Google+.  Online instruction has many benefits, allowing teachers and students to make connections across the world with no time or gas used to travel.  It has drawbacks, such as audio and video lag and sound quality concerns, but teachers like Laurel Hall and Thomas J. West are making it work (and making money doing it).  Their personal websites, in addition to general websites like online-music-lessons.net and learnmusicathome.com can give teachers an idea of the process for teaching online and equipment needed.  Some new startups like LessonFace.com and LessonFire.com are aiming to improve on the Skype model by offering their own specialized platforms through which student and teacher can meet, combining scheduling, payment, and live videoconferencing in one place.

** An additional online instruction site discovered after our presentation at ClarinetFest 2012, ClariSkye Studio, is another great source for online instruction via Skype. The site, recently created by clarinetist Michele Gingras and violinist Harvey Thurmer, offers students 30-minute lessons with both Gingras and Thurmer, as well as other participating music faculty from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).

Mobile Applications

These days, smartphones and other mobile devices have an increasing impact on our day-to-day lives, and teaching is no exception.  Mobile applications can turn a phone into a metronome, tuner, handheld recording device, decibel meter, spectrometer, and audio/video player.  Using these functions during lessons can provide instant feedback (often in visual form) for students, and can save time by allowing a teacher to instantly make recordings and send them to students via email.  

There can be drawbacks to using mobile apps in teaching: the input and output sound quality can be poor unless using an external microphone and speakers, for example.  Also, not everyone can afford the devices and expensive data plans.  However, once the device is purchased, tuner and metronome applications are incredibly inexpensive compared to their hardware counterparts.

Our favorite application for integration with clarinet pedagogy is TonalEnergy Tuner. Released in early 2012 by Sonosaurus, its most basic function is as an easy-to-use-tuner with a great interface.  It allows you to select from a variety of tuning systems (equal, just, Pythagorean, etc.) and timbres (just about any instrument) for the tone generator.  Much more than just a tuner, though, TonalEnergy can show the change in dynamics over time with its “waveform” function.  This is highly effective for working with students on dynamic shaping or even articulation.  It also can function as a spectrogram, showing the levels of overtones in the sound -- an opportunity for a great lesson about the reason for resonance fingerings.

           

We blogged in 2011 about the best metronome apps, so check here for more details about Tempo and other great metronomes to use on your phone.  Our favorite tuners include iStrobosoft (a strobe tuner by Peterson) and ClearTune (a needle tuner by Bitcount).  We will be sure to keep you informed when we hear about other great apps in the future!

***

In addition to the resources listed above, we have also compiled a list of recommended readings that discuss both specific resources and larger trends for technology in education.  Visit our August 2012 post to find the list of supplementary articles and our powerpoint presentation from ClarinetFest.  

ClarinetReedMaking.com

The December issue of The Clarinet included a fascinating article titled "Reeds: Good or Bad? It's in the Cane - An Inside View of Arundo donax L." by Michael Montague and Tina Ward.  In reading this article about the physical properties of good cane, we became curious about a website mentioned as being a great resource for information on making clarinet reeds by hand, www.clarinetreedmaking.com.    Created by Joseph LeBlanc, this site is a "workshop" site (a partner website to that of his commercial business selling reedmaking tools, reedworkshop.com) with information about reedmaking, including this great video overview:

 

Clarinetreedmaking.com is packed full of clear and detailed information about blank making, profiling, and finishing reeds, and all the equipment and supplies needed in the process. Photos and diagrams help to illustrate the process.  If you have any interest in making clarinet reeds by hand, or just want to get a glimpse into the process, this website is a great place to start!

Interactive Recordings

Record labels Navona Records and PARMA Recordings (parent company of Navona) have released several new compact discs with enhanced components that complement the listening experience. Accessible by computer, these interactive components on the CDs include PDF files of scores, program notes, videos, and composer biographies.

Back in 2008 Navona Records released Richard Stoltzman's album, Phoenix in Flight, which contained PDF files of all the music recorded on the album. Since then, the companies have improved upon the media content tenfold, adding more interactive options such as digital reproductions of liner notes containing additional information not present on the CD case and web apps for mobile ring tones.

Check out PARMA Recording's website where you can find free downloads of scores and parts of music from their newest release, 2012 PARMA Anthology of Music. Featuring ten contemporary works for small chamber ensembles, this album contains two works that involve the clarinet. Other newly-released recordings under the Navona label that include clarinet music are: Summer Circle, featuring Martin Schlumpf's Clarinet Trio for clarinet, cello, and piano; Slices, with works by various composers, including two pieces for woodwind quintet and a duo for clarinet and violin; and Claviatures: Modern Chamber Works, with Ayala Asherov-Kalus's composition, Three Rivers, written for clarinet, viola, and piano.

Website Watch (Sept 2012 Column)

In recent years the websites of clarinet companies have shifted focus from their products to their sponsored clarinetists by incorporating interviews, videos, and biographies. Although many web sites contain peripheral artist rosters, we have come across a handful of sites that take artist endorsements to the next level.  Clarinet Cache does not endorse any particular equipment or brand; web sites discussed in this column were chosen for their attention to the artists and the resources they provide to clarinetists of all levels.

BackunMusical.com
Backun has created an Artist Community where clarinetists who play on Backun instruments or equipment can create and submit their own artist profile. Launched in April 2012, the community directory currently has over 100 artist profiles containing biographies, current positions held, equipment used, and links to related web sites. Backun also has numerous videos posted on their YouTube channel “backunmusical.”  In addition to the “Tech Tips” and “Backun Studio Series” video segments, videos of Backun Artists such as Ricardo Morales, Jose Franch-Ballester, Jessica Phillips, and Eddie Daniels offer mini-master classes and discussions on various topics.

RicoReeds.com
On the homepage for Rico Reeds, large, colorful photos of Martin Fröst and other Rico artists rotate in a slideshow.  Even the Rico “Products” section is connected with the artists by showing a picture of a famous artist that plays on each type of Rico reeds.  The Rico web site also has a blog with frequent contributions by saxophonist Tim Price, who writes mostly about jazz and improvisation.

Another feature of the Rico page is a link to TheLessonRoom.com (run by the D’Addario company, distributor of Rico reeds).  This useful site has resources including videos, articles, interactive elements, and sheet music.  These can be sorted by category of instrument (e.g. “wind instruments”), but not by specific instrument.  The clarinet videos include lessons by esteemed clarinetists and teachers like Michael Norsworthy, Michele Gingras, Mark Nuccio, Richie Hawley, and the late, great David Etheridge. The articles are mostly aimed at beginner to intermediate students and address topics such as intonation and purchasing a clarinet, while the interactive elements offer drills for learning different clefs and rhythmic dictation. The sheet music section only has full band scores. TheLessonRoom.com also has a private teacher directory, searchable by location, with a rating system to allow feedback about the instructors.

Vandoren.com
Like Rico, the Vandoren company caters to both clarinetists and saxophonists. With artists categorized under the labels of classical, jazz, and ensembles, this site has an extensive index of performers.  Entries for each Vandoren artist vary in length and depth of information; however, the most informative content is found in the videos accessed through “Vandoren TV” on the homepage. Here viewers are directed to several different channels containing videos broadcasted in eleven different languages.  A majority of these short videos feature clarinetists and several of the videos are overdubbed in multiple languages.  Performers such as Philippe Cuper, Paul Meyer, Victoria Luperi, and Giora Feidman step in front of the camera to talk about their own equipment setup and express opinions on how various Vandoren products facilitate their playing.

Pedagogy 2.0

As promised, here is our presentation and handout from our presentation at ClarinetFest on Sunday, August 5, 2012. It covers the internet as a resource for teaching clarinet, and ways to incorporate technology such as mobile applications into clarinet pedagogy. A more detailed discussion of our presentation content will be published in our December 2012 column in The Clarinet and here on our blog.

 


Here is our handout from the presentation, with a list of resources in printable format and clickable links:

Pedagogy 2.0 Handout

Enjoy!

ClarinetFest Day 5

The last day of ClarinetFest was a busy one for us, as we gave our presentation and also performed with the contra clarinet ensemble.  After getting our equipment set up, we went to Adam Ballif's lecture: "Incorporating Technology in the Clarinet Studio." Adam demonstrated the use of SmartMusic to assign and grade technical exercises, how to create custom metronomes with Pro Tools, and talked about iOS music apps like Notion (a version of Finale) and Pianist Pro.  

Ballif's lecture was a great complement to ours, as we each investigated different technologies and techniques for incorporating them into clarinet pedagogy.  Our presentation, "Pedagogy 2.0: An Exploration of 21st-Century Innovations in Clarinet Teaching," centered on online resources we've discovered in the course of writing the Clarinet Cache column, as well as mobile applications.  We spent a lot of time demonstrating how to teach using the TonalEnergy app for iOS -- many thanks to Lucas Willsie for serving as our guinea pig!  Look for our full presentation and handout to be posted here soon.

Kellie and Rachel demonstrating TonalEnergy with Lucas Willsie

We had an enjoyable lunch at the Embassy Hotel restaurant with our teacher, Dr. James Gillespie, and former UNT students Malena McLaren and Chastine Hofmeister.  One of the best things about ClarinetFest is that each time we go, we have more friends and colleagues to catch up with.

Lunch with Dr. Gillespie and UNT alumni

Interesting sculptures on UNLV campus

After lunch, it was time to warm up the contras!  The warm-up room was filled with contras of all shapes and sizes, being played by everyone from undergraduate students to current and past presidents of the I.C.A.!

Dueling contras

John Scott, Gary Whitman, and Keith Koons preparing with intensity!

The contra ensemble (dubbed "A Legal Contraband" by Mary Alice Druhan) then took the stage to perform Ben Stonaker's piece 44 Contras.  From our point of view, it was an interesting and memorable performance.  Stonaker used the full range of the contrabass and contraalto clarinets, from altissimo into the extended low range, to create an unforgettable aleatoric sound sculpture.  One section sounded, in Stonaker's words, like "a flock of angry geese," while another consisted of a swelling, undulating 44-note cluster.  Audience reactions ranged from glee to complete disgust - always the sign of a good piece!

A Legal Contraband

Finally, it was time to pack up all the contras and head home.  We got to chat with conference organizer Diane Barger one last time on our way out.  She seemed happy and relieved -- as she should be after putting in so much work to make ClarinetFest 2012 a great success!  Thanks Diane!

Diane Barger

ClarinetFest Day 4

At this point in the festival it becomes harder to wake up early to make it to the first concert of the day.  Taking the morning off from recitals, I (Kellie) went to visit the exhibitions to peruse some of the vendors selling sheet music.   Then we spent some time working on our presentation for Sunday - more info coming about that in the Day 5 recap!

Many clarinetists are familiar with the music of Scott McAllister, so there was a good turnout for the performance of his new seven-movement Epic Concerto, played by three different artists.  The piece began with SSgt Timothy Sutfin performing the first three movements: "Warm-up," "Walking with Benny," and "Prodigy."  The first movement incorporated warm-up materials and patterns from the Klose book; however, the tempos were definitely faster than the typical warm-up speeds!  McAllister was inspired by the Copland and Benny Goodman, and the second movement reflects a slow walk with the great composer and player, evoking the beautiful opening of the Copland Concerto.  The next movement was inspired by past and present prodigies, including the music of Michael Jackson, where Sutfin's clarinet playing emulated the spirit and energy of the late pop star.  

Switching artists, the fourth movement was performed by Peggy Dees Moseley, who was also the commission coordinator of the work.  This movement, "Epic," is the longest movement in the piece and McAllister dedicated it to his mentor Frank Kowalsky and his wife Helen Earl.  

Rounding out the last portion of this 45-minute concerto, Kimberly Cole Luevano played the last three movements: "Schizo Scherzo," "Gone," and "High Flyin' Bird."  With a big bright sound, Luevano jumped right into "Schizo Scherzo," one of the more effective movements of the piece.  This movement was dedicated to the memory of Robert Marcellus, one of the three teachers and pedagogues to whom the festival paid tribute this year.  Similar to Berio's Mahler "remix" in the third movement of his Sinfonia, McAllister made a rousing scherzo out of a mashup of the third movement of Brahms' Sonata in F Minor together with several of the most famous orchestral excerpts for clarinet (Daphnis, Mendelssohn, Gershwin, etc.).  

The penultimate movement "Gone" centers on McAllister's emotional response to the loss of his playing career after a car accident. The long, static sotto voce tones placed under the sound of the piano must have been difficult to pull off, especially after such an energetic movement, but Luevano's stamina and control allowed her to reflect the composer's process of healing after such a life-changing event.   The final movement called "High Flyin' Bird" was inspired by a song by Richie Havens and it energetically closed the entire composition.  After all three clarinetist returned to the stage for another round of applause, McAllister joined the trio of performers in acknowledgment of superbly performance of his epic piece.

Kimberly Cole Luevano, Peggy Dees Moseley, SSgt Timothy Sutfin, and Scott McAllister

Those familiar with McAllister's music will find in the Epic Concerto elements familiar from his other works: floating upper clarion notes, extreme altissimo, angular leaps, glissando, rips up and down the instrument, and syncopated rhythms.  What sets Epic Concerto apart is that it is such an intensely personal tour of McAllister's own life as a clarinetist, making this work above all the others a "clarinetist's" clarinet piece.  Its "epic" nature and technical demands make it difficult to program on a recital, but each movement is self-contained enough to stand on its own if taken out of context.

I (Rachel) came in late to the I.C.A. Competition Winner's Recital on Saturday afternoon but managed to hear most of Paul Cantrell's beautiful work The Broken Mirror of Memory, for bass clarinet and piano.  The committed performance by Pat O'Keefe should inspire others to check out this winning piece from the Composition Competition.  

I had a special interest in the next piece, the winning work from the Joint Wind Quintet Project, as I performed in the first two premieres of the piece with the Madera Wind Quintet at the conferences of the International Horn Society and International Double Reed Society.  Lansing McLoskey was awarded the commission from the group, and composed Hardwood with inspiration from hardwood trees, leaves and branches he came across in the woods of New Hampshire.  With my extensive knowledge of the score, I can safely state that clarinetist Tod Kerstetter and the Konza Wind Quintet did a fine job of navigating the difficult rhythmic terrain and infusing the piece with lots of musicality.

The evening concert on Saturday was much more polished than Friday's concert of duos with wind ensemble, but it was still a bit underwhelming.  Greg Smith's performance of the Première Rhapsodie by Debussy was refined and light on its feet, but his delicate tone was completely overpowered by the orchestra at times.  We started wondering if the clarinetists were in a dead spot onstage when Jessica Phillips Rieske had similar problems being heard in the Mozart Concerto.  She made some interesting choices about octave transpositions from the basset clarinet original, but the performance overall seemed a bit "safe" -- perhaps owing to the fact that the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra conductor didn't seem to be paying much attention to his soloists.  

Eddy Vanoosthuyse gave a rousing performance of McAllister's X with a powerful sound compared to the other two performers, perhaps owing in part to standing at a different angle onstage.  Capturing the spirit of the piece, the orchestra was alternately brooding and explosive.  With the exception of a little bit of reed trouble, Vanoosthuyse's performance was effective and engaging.

Scott McAllister and Eddy Vanoosthuyse