Hot News April 2006

Colleage, Fountain, and Leister at ClarinetFest 2001

Pete Fountain

Pete Fountain Jazz

LeBlanc and New Orleans Jazz Festival

Karl Leister with Pete Fountain LeBlanc Clarinet

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.

 

Steve Williamson with Student

Williamson coaching

Rice University Students with Michael Webster and Steven Williamson

Williamson working with student

8 April 2006

Stephen Williamson, principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Master Class at Rice University

Houston, Texas USA


Stephen Williamson, principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Recital  included music of Poulenc, Cahuzac, Chausson, and Verdi
held 2:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall

Clarinetist Stephen Williamson received his Bachelor of Music degree and Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School. As a Fulbright Scholar at the Hochschule der Kunste in Berlin, Mr. Williamson began performing extensively as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe.

 
Stephen Williamson with Michael Webster and clarinet students of the Shepherd School

His European debut of Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor Fin du Temps at the Kammermusiksal der Philharmonie (Berlin) was critically acclaimed. Most recently his woodwind quintet, the Meliora Winds, were winners of the 1997 Concert Artists Guild Competition in NYC, making this ensemble the first woodwind quintet to be on the CAG roster since the early 1970's. The Meliora Winds are currently artists in residence and faculty members of the American Festival for the Arts (Houston, Texas).

Mr. Williamson is the Grand Prize Winner of the 1994 Boosey & Hawkes/ Buffet Crampon First Annual North American Clarinet Competition. As a chamber musician, he was a winner of the 1990 Coleman International Chamber Music Competition and the 1992 Hochschule der Kunste Kammermusik Wettbewerb. Mr. Williamson performs with the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra,the American Ballet Theater, the San Francisco Ballet, the American Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Solisti NY Chamber Orchestra, the Stamford Symphony, and the EOS Chamber Orchestra, and has recordings on Sony Classics, CRI, BMG, and Decca labels.

His teachers have included Eduard Brunner, Charles Neidich, Peter Rieckhoff, Kenneth Grant, and Michael Webster. He resides in Rockland County with his wife Jill and their baby son Ryan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jerusalem Class with Williams, Spring, and Wasserman-Margolis

Faculty and Clarinet Competition students

Robert Spring Master Class

Nathan Williams in Recital

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.

Cipolla Master Class

Master Class session

Francois Bescond on Class

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.

Faculty Clarinet Nonet - Schickele Monocrome III

Beginning student with Eb Clarinet

Pascuala Martinez Forteza, Mike Getzin, and Mark Nuccio

Fortezo and Nuccio in recital

Mark Sloss, Mark Nuccio and Casy Bork

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. 

Maureen Hurd seminar

Hurd demonstration

Hurd lecture

Hurd lunch session on Benny Goodman's Classic past

 

          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. 

Robert DiLutis Reed seminar

Analysis of Reeds and Mouthpieces

DiLutis showing graphical info on Reeds

Ronald Reuben in student session

Reuben session

 

         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.

David Hattner lesson

Student session

Hattner talk on fundamentals

Lesson with hattner

Hattner and questions

Karl Herman lesson

Intense musical coaching

Herman with advanced student

Andrew Lamy and Cygnet Clarinet Quartet

Cygnet Quartet bow

Guy Chadash Master Class

Chadash coaching student

Chadash demonstrating a fundamental point

Chadash Class with 4 students

Chadash working with student

Selmer-LeBlanc display

Buffet display with Bob Coppinger

Bonade Clarinet Quartet

Bonade Quartet

Quartet bow

Conductor Hattner with Monochrome III Nonet

Hattner rehearsing 9 Clarinet group

Hattner explaining work to participants

Clarinet Nonet bow

David Hattner in class

Clarinet Section class

2 Clarinets Orchestral class

Forteza coaching class

Forteza and Nuccio with clarinet class

Orchestra Master Class

 

Mendellsohn Concertpiece with Pascual and Nuccio

Pascual and Nuccio together in Duo

Pascual and Nuccio

Foteza demonstration

Pascual Forteza discussion

          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.

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Revised: October 13, 2007