Clarinet players blow into town for festival

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The sounds of at least five different types of clarinets and up to 60 clarinetists will be featured on stage this weekend during Brandon University School of Music’s clarinet festival, with free concerts for the public, says Catherine Wood, a clarinet professor.

“We wouldn’t necessarily know this in Manitoba, but some of these professional clarinetists are famous around the world,” said Wood, who is the festival host.

“I brought Wonkak Kim, a Korean American clarinetist who’s really well known, and we’re bringing pianist Kyung Kim from China,” Wood told the Sun.

Kim is a former music professor at BU’s School of Music and has performed across North America, Asia, and Europe including solo recitals in Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Centre, and the Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts in Seoul.

“So, we are bringing some high-level clarinet players here,” Wood said, “but you definitely don’t have to be a clarinet player to appreciate it. It will be really good music.”

The first free concert that is open to the public is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m., at the Lorne Watson Recital Hall.

The second public performance begins Saturday at 7:30 p.m. also in the recital hall. It will feature a mix of classical hits on the clarinet and piano, as well as new music that has been written by female Korean composers, Wood told the Sun.

The evening concert is billed as a BU pro series event, so tickets are $20 and are available at the door.

There will be three free concerts on Sunday, with the first two taking place at 12:15 and 2 p.m., both at the Lorne Watson Recital Hall.

The final concert on Sunday will feature all the musicians and is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Kinsmen Hall, Room 1-20 in the Music building. The BU Clarinet Choir and the Festival Clarinet Choir will be part of the performance, Wood said.

“It will be a big community music concert with my students, the clarinet choir from the university, and everyone plays together, it’s really fun,” she said.

“We’ll do a mix of kind of some music you would expect, and then the very last piece is the song ‘Take On Me’ by the group a-ha, so that’s a pop piece that I think will be really fun for people to play together,” said Wood.

The BU Clarinet Festival is a wonderful example of bringing the community together to share a passion for music and learning, said Greg Gatien, BU’s dean of music.

“I tip my hat to Catherine and her students, who have put together an incredible lineup of concerts and developmental opportunities that offer something for everyone, from young to experienced clarinetists and educators, to those who just love to experience the joy of live music,” Gatien said in a news release.

Wood laughed as she called herself a clarinet nerd and credits her grandparents for having an influence on her love of music.

“They had a lot of big band Benny Goodman-type music, so, I heard some of that growing up,” she said.

And in a nod and appreciation to her Icelandic roots, Wood and her percussion partner Victoria Sparks have named their Saturday afternoon performance, Viðarneistí, which is an Icelandic word.

“Both Victoria and I are Icelandic Canadian. And the word viðarneistí, means wood spark. So, with my last name Wood, and her last name Spark,” she said as she paused for effect.

“It’s a terrible pun,” Wood added with a laugh, “but we also have music written for us because of our unusual combination.

“So, we’re sparking new pieces.”

The weekend will also feature workshops only offered for the musicians, including an osteopath who will help people use their body to benefit their playing. And a session on improvising will showcase new and unusual techniques for playing the clarinet.

This is the 15th anniversary of the BU Clarinet Festival.

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