ASU’s very own clarinet studio will perform in its annual studio recital, A Clarinet Extravaganza!, Tuesday at the Tempe Center of the Arts from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The recital may challenge the audience’s notions of what classical music can be as the program features loud and eclectic music.
Some of the new pieces include a bombastic bass clarinet duo and a clarinet duet with accompaniment, “Il Convegno” composed by Amilcare Ponchielli and arranged by Roland Cardon.
The students have been preparing duets, trios, quartets and a clarinet choir with over 40 students for months. The ASU Clarinet Choir, taught by Professor of Music, Robert Spring and Clinical Assistant Professor of Music, Joshua Gardner, will be a unique experience for listeners.
“We put together a program that is a little bit different than you would normally hear at a studio recital,” Spring said. “The first thing is that there is a huge clarinet choir. We have everything from Eb clarinets to Bb clarinets to bass clarinets to contra-bass clarinets. We also have a variety of music you wouldn’t hear otherwise.”
The choir performed at Arizona Music Educators Association conference in late January. The ensemble has also been invited to perform at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest 2016 in Lawrence, Kansas this summer.
Playing as a choir is a unique experience for students of all ages including Olivia Moonitz, clarinet performance master student.
“I think it's good experience sitting next to people of different levels of playing ability,” she said. “It is good for young students to sit next to graduate students and play alongside them. It's also just nice to create music with the people you see perform as soloist or members of large ensembles. We wouldn't get to play with some of our peers if it wasn't for clarinet choir.”
For clarinet performance sophomore, Rachel Robichaud, performing with the studio is just an extension of being a part of the clarinet community at ASU.
“Performing with my studio means performing with my friends,” she said. “There's never a dull moment. Dr. Spring and Dr. Gardner are so lively and everyone is so willing to put into it as well.”
The ASU clarinet studio is a renowned institution that attracts students from all over the world. Spring, a past president of the International Clarinet Society and soloist, and Gardner, a soloist and chamber performer, are responsible for the worldwide interest.
The recital is at Tempe Center of the Arts, located at 700 W. Rio Salado Pwky. A coffee service will precede the performances starting at 9:30 a.m.
Related links:
ASU's Lyric Opera Theatre presents student production of the renowned "Grease"
Guitars, computers, percussion, oh my! ASU Hybrid Ensemble's upcoming concert
Reach the reporter at tanner.stechnij@asu.edu or follow @tannerstechnijon Twitter.
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