Since I will likely refer prospective apprentices to this blog, let me just outline here what I like to hear in the audition CDs. I prefer more than 10 minutes of material, a combination of solo repertoire (with or without piano) and some orchestral excerpts. I feel the most confident that I know your playing at its best if the recording is made in a performance space like a concert hall, but the microphone is placed 10-20 feet from the clarinet. Sounds too close if you record in a practice room, sounds too far if you are in a concert hall, with your minidisc recorder sitting on a seat in the middle or back of the hall.
The apprentices for 2009 were, in left to right order in the photo above: Karen Pearce, Katy, TX, Kelly Austermann, St. Louis, MO, Steven Naimark, Tempe, AZ, Sam Ross, Denton, TX, Andy Hudson, Columbus, GA, and Taryn O'Neil, Evanston, IL. It was great to work with a variety of students from a variety of studios. Their teachers include: Lawrie Bloom, Lisa Oberlander, Robert Spring, Yehuda Gilad, James Campbell, John Scott, and myself. This is an opportunity for all to exchange ideas, which we all benefitted from.
An invitation to the festival as a clarinetist is a two-year proposal, apprentices may return for a second year with no re-application hassle. Six apprentices is unusual, though. Next year, my guess is that there will be four or five.
No comments:
Post a Comment