History
THE HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CLARINET ASSOCIATION
“ The Evolution of a Good Idea”
The history of the International Clarinet Association chronicles countless individuals, fabulous annual conferences, one of the most outstanding and scholarly of all single instrument journals, and much more. The birth of our organization began as a “Good Idea”.
The University of Denver’s (DU) National Clarinet Clinic contributed much to our history. Ralph Strouf, then professor of clarinet at DU recalled how planning for the university’s centennial in 1964 resulted in a call for national conferences on their campus. The university’s president said he would fund qualified conferences. Ralph’s “good idea” to have a clarinet festival was proposed, funded, and clarinet enthusiasts gathered for a five-day clinic at DU in July 1964. Ralph asked his teacher and mentor, the late Keith Stein, to serve as the artistic director so that he could coordinate the logistics of such a conference. Keith was enthusiastic and immediately suggested that the new clarinet teacher at Michigan State University, Elsa, be invited. [Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr was the clarinet professor at MSU from 1964-2007.] As a Denver native I attended some of those early clinics and was fortunate to meet and hear some of the world’s greatest performers of the day, rub elbows with pedagogues, play in a clarinet choir for the first time, peruse clarinet methods and music collections provided by Wells Music of Denver and soon thereafter, Luyben Music of Kansas City, and sample the instruments and accessories of local music vendors and the major manufacturers of the day - Selmer, Leblanc, Buffet, and Conn. In 1967, Strouf resigned for a new position at the new Metropolitan State College in Denver. That summer, Ramon Kireilis, having just finished his doctorate at the University of Michigan, was invited to interview for the open position during the 1967 National Clarinet Clinic. The DU School of Music administration wanted their prospective clarinet professor to know about this successful national clinic so it could be continued in coming years.

At the 1973 National Clarinet Clinic Ramon gathered clinic participants to form what was to be known as the International Clarinet Society (I.C.S.), with a mission statement, officers, committees, and an official quarterly journal,
The Clarinet. Later, by-laws were written and adopted. The Society’s mission statement has evolved into the following: A community of clarinetists and clarinet enthusiasts that supports projects that will benefit clarinet performance, the
International Clarinet Association provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas, materials, and information among its members; fosters the composition, publication, recording, and distribution of music for the clarinet; encourages the research and manufacture of a more definitive clarinet; avoids commercialism in any form while encouraging communication and cooperation among clarinetists and the music industry; and encourages and promotes the performance and teaching of a wide variety of repertoire for the clarinet. To these ends, the association is dedicated to fostering communication and fellowship of clarinetists on a worldwide basis through publishing a quarterly scholarly journal, The Clarinet, producing an annual clarinet festival, ClarinetFest®, supporting a research library with materials available to all members, and promoting a variety of other endeavors related to the clarinet and clarinet playing.
FIRST OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY:
Ramon Kireilis was the first President of the new society. Quoting from
The Clarinet, Vol. 1, No. 1, “It should be noted that although Kireilis, director of the Clinic, was elected president of the Society, the latter is a completely autonomous and independent group. The presence of Kireilis in the Society will be of great value to the Society, and it is to be hoped that the Society will in its turn be advantageous to the Clinic.” From 1974 on, the Society was invited to hold its annual business meeting during the Clinic. In other words, Kireilis organized the Clinic each summer at the University of Denver and the Society held its annual business meeting at the Clinic. Lee Gibson, Kireilis’ mentor from North Texas State University, volunteered to be the editor of the Society’s publication,
The Clarinet. Lee became President in 1978 when Kireilis wanted to devote his full energies as director of what had now become, the International Clarinet Clinic.
Other officers included Leon Russianoff of the Juilliard School in New York as Vice President, Robert Schott of Kansas State College of Pittsburg, Kansas as Secretary/Treasurer and Research Chair. H. James Schoepflin of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho was Publisher. Regional Chairmen for the United States and National Chairmen for eastern and western Canada, Australia, Austria, England, and Mexico were named. A Vacancy Service was established for aspiring university teachers and symphony positions under the directorship of Harold Ashenfelter of Antioch College. In 1974 and continuing until 1977, Jack Snavely of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee coordinated the Vacancy Service.

Drafting our legal incorporation documents was attorney, Harry “Bud” Rubin from York, Pennsylvania. Quoting from Julie DeRoche, a past I.C.A. president, “Bud Rubin is the most important volunteer we have ever had. His generosity has been equaled only by his expertise. Consistently refusing to even allow the I.C.A. to pay his conference registration, he is to our organization what a good reed is to a clarinetist, a rare and cherished find.”
Jerry Pierce was the third I.C.S. President. One of the last of Daniel Bonade’s students, Jerry had a “deep interest in the repertoire of the clarinet”. His
Pierce’s Potpourri in The Clarinet magazine detailed many obscure and hard-to-find clarinet compositions - real treasures for clarinetists everywhere. After his death in 1994, the Association purchased his extensive clarinet library for the I.C.A. Research Center at the University of Maryland. Jerry’s wife, Linda, coordinated the Society’s Commissioning Project for several years.
The officers met annually at clarinet clinics to discuss the business of the society. During Pierce’s tenure the officers felt a longer time away from the exciting performances and clinics was needed in order to devote our energies to the future of the organization. The first mid-year meeting was held in Chicago the fall of 1983. Such mid-year meetings continue to be held as the association matures. Initiation of and funding for projects was discussed, updating sections of the
Conference Handbook were hashed out, proposals for upcoming conference sites were discussed, and ideas for growing our membership were paramount.

In 1981-82 another clarinet organization made its appearance - ClariNetwork International, Inc. (C.I.) Reasons for this competing organization are many. A perceived notion that membership and the organization’s officers were primarily from the academic world (college/university professors), it appeared that there was a need for an organization that included and/or paid more attention to professional (symphony orchestra) performers, and that annual meetings and conferences, having been held mostly in Denver (no east or west coast meetings of I.C.S. had yet been held), needed more varied locations. John Mohler’s presidency dealt mainly with getting the two organization merged as one, Prior to the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Clarinet Conference (Richmond, Virginia) in 1988, a meeting was held in Des Moines, Iowa to work out the details of the merger. At the VCU conference John Mohler and Chuck West, with Bud Rubin from I.C.S. and Gerry Errante, Ed Riley and Daniel Levy from ClariNetwork International, Inc. and others, facilitated the merger. The merged organization had the unwieldy name - International Clarinet Society/ClariNetwork International, Inc. In 1991 the name was changed by a vote of the membership to International Clarinet Association (I.C.A.).

OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENTS:
| Ramon Kireilis |
1978-1980 |
| Jerry Pierce |
1980-1986 |
| John Mohler |
1986-1988 |
| Charles West |
1988-1990 (I.C.S./C.I.) |
| Fred Ormand |
1990-1992 (I.C.S./C.I.) |
| Howard Klug |
1992-1994 (I.C.A.) |
| E. Gerard Errante |
1994-1996 |
| Alan Stanek |
1996-1998 |
| Robert Spring |
1998-2000 |
| Julie DeRoche |
2000-2002 |
| Robert Walzel |
2002-2004 |
| Michael Galván |
2004-2005 |
| Lee Livengood |
acting president 2005-2006
president 2006-2008 |
Fred Ormand encouraged the formulation of regional clarinet festivals and the recognition of those whose lifetime achievements had meant so much to the clarinet world. Howard Klug, host of the 1987 Conference at the University of Illinois, in Urbana-Champaign, separated the High School and Young Artist Competitions, encouraged the formation of regional clarinet clubs, and established the Composition Competition. His pedagogical column was a welcome addition to the journal. He, tongue-in-cheek, declared himself “the Education President.”
Gerry Errante encouraged the membership in the Adopt-A-Member Program to help enlist clarinetist from underdeveloped countries, established the I.C.A. Research Committee with Keith Koons as Chair, and proposed putting the Clarinet Anthology online (a compilation of articles from the older
Clarinet magazine, and new research articles from the “Paper & Poster Presentation” Competition). Alan Stanek, as president-elect under Gerry Errante, made contact with Stan Geidel to get our website established. During Stanek’s presidency, the association celebrated its 25th anniversary at the 1998 ClarinetFest® at Ohio State University and acknowledged the 4,000th member of the association. The results of a Member Questionnaire gave the Board of Directors information and guidance to direct and improve the association and the journal. Requests included the desire for an east coast conference (resulting in the 2004 ClarinetFest® at the University of Maryland near Washington, D.C.) and conferences on other continents (Tokyo, Japan in 2005), more jazz related articles, and educational materials in
The Clarinet, and a request to get the Research Library Catalog online.
Bob Spring’s administration authorized the funds to get the Research Library Catalog online. The online catalog is very easy to use and a valuable resource to all I.C.A. members. Bob also hosted the ‘97 ClarinetFest® in Tempe, and we were given a “warm” reception (temperatures averaged 100¾ - 114¾). Julie DeRoche, the first female I.C.A. president, hosted the ‘94 Chicago ClarinetFest®, one of the largest conferences up that point in our history. Julie’s board initiated a Grant Competition in 2002, which funded regional clarinet gatherings, research projects, etc. Discussions at Board meetings focused on controlling all aspects of ClarinetFests, such as organization, artistic considerations, exhibitors, advertising and finances. The association’s control of ClarinetFests had been a long-term goal of several presidents going back to at least Fred Ormand and is now a reality.

Robert Walzel, hosted the ‘97 Texas Tech ClarinetFest® in Lubbock, served as Treasurer 96-98, and is credited with convincing Kathy Pope to put in a bid for a future conference at the University of Utah at the 2000 mid-year Board meeting. This was two years before Bob even knew there would be an administrative position for him in the University of Utah School of Music. Michael Galván’s presidency included furthering of the concept of total control of ClarinetFests and presiding over the Tokyo/Tama, Japan conference. In December 2005, Michael resigned, as President and Lee Livengood became Acting President for the remainder of Michael’s term. Each president has had the honor of working with a dedicated Board of Directors, individuals elected by the membership.
VICE PRESIDENTS:
| Leon Russianoff (1916-1990) |
1973-1976 |
| Philip Aaholm |
1976-1978 |
| Glenn Bowen |
1978-1980 |
| Dan Sparks |
1980-1982 |
| David Etheridge |
1982-1986 |
| Alan Stanek |
1986-1988 |
| (After 1988 the Bylaws eliminated the office of vice president and incorporated the position of president-elect.) |
SECRETARY/TREASURER (1973-1978) AND TREASURERS:
| Robert Schott (1924-2005) |
1973-1975 |
| David Randall |
1975-1978 |
| (At the 1978 Toronto, Canada Conference, the Secretary/Treasurer position was split.) |
| David Randall |
1978-1981 |
| H. James Schoepflin |
1981-1986 |
| Charles West |
1986-1988 |
| Ted Jahn (1939-2001) |
1988-1992 |
| Konrad Owens |
1992-1996 |
| Julie DeRoche |
1996-1998 |
| Robert Walzel |
1998-2000 |
| Kelly Burke |
2002-2004 |
| Diane Cawein-Barger |
2004- |
SECRETARIES (from 1978):
| Alan Stanek |
1978-1984 |
| Norman Heim |
1984-1986 |
| David Pino |
1986-1988 |
| Patricia Kostek |
1988-1996 |
| Maurita Murphy-Mead |
1996-2002 |
| Michéle Gingras |
2002-2004 |
| Kristina Belisle |
2004- |
Keeping track of the membership was the responsibility of the Secretary until our membership grew to the point that it was becoming unmanageable. Upon the merger of I.C.S./C.I. in 1988, Robin Ulman-Anderson became Membership Coordinator. Elena Lence-Talley was appointed in 1990. Rose Sperrazza put together a new Membership Brochure, authored a new and interesting column in the magazine (Reed All About It) and was proposed as the first Executive Director in 2003. So Rhee was hired as Executive Director in September 2005.
THE CLARINET:
The official quarterly journal -
The Clarinet, Volume 1, Number 1 was a Xeroxed, loose-leaf issue that introduced the clarinet world to a new organization - the International Clarinet Society. Lee Gibson edited the journal for its first five years and Jim Gillespie celebrated his 25th year as editor in 2003 (1978-2003). The photograph of clarinetist David Shifrin was the first to grace a cover of
The Clarinet, Vol. 1, No. 2. Publisher H. James Schoepflin was responsible for my involvement with the association. As consecutive Chairs of the Department of Music at Idaho State University, we enjoyed our association with Betty Brockett, as our adult student and as
The Clarinet’s Publishing Associate. Betty passed away in May 2003 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Galleys of the early issues of the magazine were proofed and after printing in Idaho Falls, the magazines were inserted into manila envelopes on the floor of the chairman’s office at ISU and mailed from the university’s post office.
The journal has had several Editors of Reviews and an Associate Editor of Reviews for Recordings. Jim Sauers’
Record Rumbles complimented Jerry Pierce’s
Potpourri. Together one could learn about the clarinet repertoire and hear those who recorded it. Joseph Messenger has been Editor of Reviews since 1988. He receives and distributes music sent by publishers for review. Brad Wong and Bill Nichols served as Audio Review Editors. Together, these gentlemen have distributed new music and recordings for review by a variety of individuals to be included in
The Clarinet.
Comments about
The Clarinet appeared on various ICA brochures through the years:
| • |
“The Clarinet gives one a wealth of information…from aspiring student to the seasoned professional.” Michele Zukovsky - Principal Clarinetist, Los Angeles Philharmonic |
| • |
“The Clarinet is truly an international resource of information on the clarinet.” Alfred Prinz - former clarinetist, Vienna Philharmonic |
| • |
“The Clarinet is a good reed. If you must ask why…donax.” and “The Clarinet is a mellifluous magazine contemplating a colloquy of clarinetists.” Richard Stoltzman - International Clarinet Soloist and Recording Artist
|


Advertising Managers have helped keep the journal on a financial footing and the association solvent. Bob Luyben, of Luyben Music in Kansas City, Missouri made phone calls to potential businesses in the beginning and Jim Schoepflin handled all the details of magazine advertisements the first ten years of the Society. Gary Whitman was employed by the Board to coordinate exhibitors at all ClarinetFests ever since Jim Pyne’s OSU conference in Columbus, Ohio where he was sent by the board to observe the process. This has relieved the conference host from this awesome task. This was the board’s first small step in gaining financial and organizational control of the entire ClarinetFest® event. This is now a responsibility of the Executive Director in conjunction with ClarinetFest® hosts.
Editor Jim Gillespie has convinced many outstanding individuals to write special columns over the years.
Mazzeo Musings by Rosario Mazzeo, former bass clarinetist in the Boston Symphony, offered discussions of repertoire. Michael Webster followed Howard Klug, offering pedagogical articles in the magazine, Michael is the current author of a series entitled
Teaching Clarinet. His
Webster’s Web, an email Question/Answer feature, has generated considerable interest from readers. International Reporters have informed the membership of clarinet happenings around the world from Australia to Zimbabwe. Tsuneya Hirai from Japan and the late Neville Thomas from Australia have been the most consistent correspondents. Australia and Japan have well over 300 members of their respective national clarinet societies. More recently, we hear quarterly from Paul Harris of the United Kingdom.
ANNUAL CONVENTIONS:
There has been an evolution of annual convention titles from Clinic to Congress, to Conference, to ClarFest, to ClarinetFest®. Note that ClarinetFest® is a registered name of the association. Reports of each conference with numerous pictures are published in
The Clarinet, usually in the November-December issue of each volume.
At those early Denver clinics, Frank Stachow of Lebanon Valley College, Pennsylvania, recorded all performances on reel-to-reel tape. Kireilis related this humorous story to me about Frank. Frank stood up at one of the conferences and said, “ After 10 years hearing the same ‘bs’ about practice, I want to know the real secret.” Kireilis ventured the thought to me that “perhaps all we needed to do was change the way we spelled our name.” For example, Bill Jackson changed his name to Bil, Greg Smith changed his to Gregg. Early performers and presenters at Denver included Leon Russianoff, Michele Zukovsky, and Hans Rudolf Stalder.
One of the features of those early Denver meetings was the networking of professional performers, high school and college teachers, amateurs, and industry personnel. There was often a banquet for all participants held in the DU Student Union or a local hangout near the campus - a beer, pizza, and Italian sausage sandwich place called
La Fontanella where entertainment was provided by conference attendees. A photo of participants at one early annual meeting included: Jim Schoepflin, Jim Gillespie, the late Betty Brockett, Alan Stanek, Dan Sparks, Stephen Clark, David Etheridge (another Denver native and founder of the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium), Michael Bryant and Pamela Weston from the U.K., Henry Duckham, Glenn Bowen, Phil Aaholm, John Mohler, Jon Anderson, John Scott, and many others - names synonymous with the early organization.
Early on there were clarinet choirs of clinic participants that continue today. Don Ambler, Bass Clarinetist of the Denver Symphony helped organize these early ensembles. Conductors included Russell Howland, Frank Stachow, Lucian Calliett, and others.
After the Toronto Congress in 1978, the first Congress outside of North America was held in 1981 in Paris, France. Guy Deplus and the Paris Clarinet Quartet, especially Michel and Anne-Marie Gizard, were our hosts. Going through the Buffet factory was a special event for Congress attendees. Pamela Weston was our host for the London meeting in 1984. Her books,
Virtuosi of the Past, etc. are must reeds!
The 1985 conference at Oberlin was highlighted by the appearance of Artie Shaw. We heard recordings made in the 1940’s by the movie studios (they had better recording equipment than RCA according to Mr. Shaw) that had never been released - many are now available. We also saw a documentary video entitled
Time Is All You’ve Got, an autobiography of Shaw’s very interesting life. For those who have read his
the Trouble With Cinderella - An Outline of Identity, might also want to peruse his short novel:
I Love You, I Hate You, Drop Dead. In the preface he offers “Five Simple Steps to Become a Genius”. Here are the steps: 1. Find yourself a genius. 2. Make friends with him. 3. Following him around. 4. Watch what he does. 5. Do it. He goes on to say, “The first rule is, of course, the toughest one, and to make it even tougher, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be a genius. One thing you can bet on, though: if you keep at it long enough, you’ll get pretty good at whatever it is you’re trying to do. And you’ll certainly know quite a lot about what it takes. Remember, I said five
simple steps, not easy ones.”
The first of large group music events was also held at the 1985 Conference at Oberlin College, Ohio.
Black Box Music by Conrad Cummings involved all conference attendees in an outside performance. Bill McColl hosted the ‘86 conference in Seattle where William O. (Bill) Smith’s
Line Up music may have set the Guinness World Record for the longest line up of clarinetists. Approximately 150 fellow clarinetists in Cincinnati with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra performed
Clarinet Polka. 280 ClarinetFest® participants set a new record performing
When the Saints Go Marching In with the Columbus Symphony at Jim Pyne’s ClarinetFest® in Columbus in 1998. Jim personalized his 1998 ClarinetFest® with a festival and symposium entitled
Vienna and the Clarinet. Hearing basset horns in Mozart’s Requiem was inspiring. Guido Six, will be remembered for his conferences in Ghent, Belgium in ‘93 with Freddie Artel, and again in ‘99 in Ostende, the “Claribel Clarinet Choir”, and, of course, his late evening “Biermeister” duties with chocolates and that wonderful Belgium liquid refreshment. Each conference has had memorable moments too numerous to include here.
CONFERENCE LOCATIONS:
| 1974-1977 |
USA - Denver, Colorado |
| 1978 |
CANADA - Toronto |
| 1979-1980 |
USA - Denver, Colorado |
| 1981 |
FRANCE - Paris |
| 1982-1983 |
USA - Denver, Colorado |
| 1984 |
ENGLAND - London |
| 1985 |
USA - Oberlin, Ohio |
| 1986 |
USA - Seattle, Washington |
| 1987 |
USA - Urbana-Champaign, Illinois |
| 1988 |
USA - Richmond, Virginia |
| 1989 |
USA - Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| 1990 |
CANADA - Quebec City |
| 1991 |
USA - Flagstaff, Arizona |
| 1992 |
USA - Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 1993 |
BELGIUM- Ghent |
| 1994 |
USA - Chicago, Illinois |
| 1995 |
USA - Tempe, Arizona |
| 1996 |
FRANCE - Paris |
| 1997 |
USA - Lubbock, Texas |
| 1998 |
USA - Columbus, Ohio |
| 1999 |
BELGIUM - Ostende |
| 2000 |
USA - Norman, Oklahoma |
| 2001 |
USA - New Orleans, Louisiana |
| 2002 |
SWEDEN - Stockholm |
| 2003 |
USA - Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 2004 |
USA - Washington, D.C. |
| 2005 |
JAPAN - Tokyo/Tama |
| 2006 |
USA - Atlanta, Georgia |
2007
 |
CANADA - Vancouver, B.C.
 |
Comments such as the following about our annual conferences have appeared on recruiting brochures:
| • |
“As represented in The Clarinet and at the sessions of the ClarFest International conferences, the ‘hands-on’ approach of today’s players/teachers is consistently awesome.” Mitchell Lurie - former Principal Clarinetists with the Pittsburg and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and noted pedagogue at the University of Southern California |
| • |
“The ClarFest International conferences give teachers the opportunity to share and discover new teaching techniques, repertoire and equipment…and return to their students refreshed and energized.” DeeDee Hamlin - Cincinnati area private clarinet teacher |
| • |
“It is a source of inspiration to me to hear performers of this caliber at the ClarFest International conferences, and playing in the clarinet choir gives me a real feeling of participation.” Keith Skelton - Brownstone (IN) clarinetist and repairman |
RESEARCH LIBRARY:
The Burnett C. Tuthill Research Library was the original basis of the I.C.S. Research Library, with Cecil Gold, Director. It was housed at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho in 1974. The library was moved to the University of Akron, Ohio in 1976, then to the University of Maryland Special Collections of Music at the Hornbake Library in 1979. Norman Heim began his service as Director in 1980. Keith Koons followed Norm as our library liaison.
HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS:
The Bylaws of the Society, Article V.6, call for “a special category of Honorary Membership for persons of unusual distinction from the areas of professional service, teaching, performance, and/or lifetime achievements. Biographical materials of the following recipients appear in
The Clarinet following their induction:
| Harry Rubin |
1978 York, Pennsylvania |
| Betty Brockett |
1986 (1936-2003) |
| James Sauers |
1987 (1921-1988) |
| Pamela Weston |
1987 Hothfield, Kent, U.K. |
| Lee Gibson |
1998 Denton, Texas |
| Ramon Kireilis |
1998 Denver, Colorado |
| Ralph Strouf |
1998 (1926-2002) |
| Guy Deplus |
1999 Paris, France |
| George Waln |
1999 (1904-1999) |
| Jack Brymer |
2000 (1915-2003) |
| Himie Voxman |
2000 Iowa City, Iowa |
| Stanley Hasty |
2001 Rochester, New York |
| William O. Smith |
2001 Seattle, Washington |
| Paul Harvey |
2002 Twickenham, Middlesex, U.K. |
| Mitchell Lurie |
2002 Los Angeles, California |
| Alfred Prinz |
2002 Bloomington, Indiana |
| John Mohler |
2003 Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Bernard Portnoy |
2003 1915-2006 |
| Stanley Drucker |
2004 New York, New York |
| David Weber |
2004 (1914-2006) |
| F. Gerard Errante |
2005 Norfolk, Virginia |
| James Gillespie |
2005 Denton, Texas |
| Karl Leister |
2005 Berlin, Germany |
| Clark Brody |
2006 Chicago, Illinois |
| Jacques Lancelot |
2006 Paris, France |
| John McCaw |
2006 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
COMPETITIONS:
1974 marked the third annual National Clarinet Competition, open only to high school students. This competition was eventually split between the High School Competition and the Young Artist Competition (YAC) for competitors up to age 26. The later two have been international in scope for many years. For the past several years the president-elect coordinates the Young Artist Competition. Coordinators of the High School Competition were Gerald King, Michael Galván, and Diane Cawein-Barger.
In 1997 the Orchestral Auditions Competition (OAC) was founded and coordinated by Raphael Sanders, a member who wanted something to happen and made it happen. Michéle Gingras coordinated the Composition Competition for many years. It attracted numerous entries of outstanding composition for a variety of pieces that included the clarinet, solo works, sonatas, chamber works, etc. An interesting and often unnoticed addition to ClarinetFests® is the Paper and Poster Presentations. Keith Koons has coordinated these very interesting sessions. Keith was also the Research Center Coordinator and Library Liaison until the fall of 2006. John Cipolla took over for Keith in 2007.
YOUNG ARTIST COMPETITION WINNERS:
| 1974 |
Andrew Stevens USA |
| 1975 |
Bill Jackson USA |
| 1976 |
Bill Jackson USA |
| 1977 |
Robert West USA |
| 1978 |
TORONTO No Competition |
| 1979 |
Jon Manasse USA |
| 1980 |
Kathy Crane USA |
| 1981 |
PARIS No competition |
| 1982 |
Diane Pitzer USA |
| 1983 |
Ted Lane USA |
| 1984 |
Michael Whight England |
| 1985 |
Michael Rusinek Canada |
| 1986 |
Sean Osborne USA |
| 1987 |
Jerome Simas USA |
| 1988 |
Sarah Young USA |
| 1989 |
Seeing Hee Lee Korea |
| 1990 |
Zsolt Szatmari Hungary |
| 1991 |
Garrick Zoeter Hungary |
| 1992 |
Jeffery Snavely USA |
| 1993 |
Zoltan Szucs Hungary |
| 1994 |
Kathlene Gardner USA |
| 1995 |
Robert Pickup South Africa |
| 1996 |
Rudolf Szitka Hungary |
| 1997 |
Charles Michiels Belgium |
| 1998 |
Stephen Gresko USA |
| 1999 |
Karee Dohnel Czech Republic |
| 2000 |
Jason Fettig USA |
| 2001 |
Nicholas Baldeyrou France |
| 2002 |
António Rosa Portugal |
| 2003 |
Guntis Kuzma Latvia |
| 2004 |
Michael Byerly USA |
| 2005 |
Maria Oliveira Portugal |
| 2006 |
Saul Sanchez Mexico |
WEBSITE: WWW.CLARINET.ORG:
Stan Geidel got our website up and running as web master and Mark Charette and Kevin Jocius followed. David Neithamer served as our Internet Liaison for several years. Roger Garrett produced an ICA Electronic Newsletter for those enrolled through the Klarinet Discussion List, an Internet discussion list started in 1996 and hosted on Mark’s server. The Electronic Newsletter was an attempt to recruit younger clarinetists to the association. Unfortunately, the newsletter was dropped.
ADVERTISERS and EXHIBITORS:
Without the backing of advertisers and conference exhibitors there would probably be no magazine or ClarinetFest®. They provide the necessary financial support, exchange of ideas, and materials through their advertising, exhibits, and the sponsorship of clarinet artists and teachers. The association is indebted to their generosity and cooperation.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES, REGIONAL CHAIRS, and NATIONAL CHAIRS:
State Representatives (50)
Regional Chairpersons (9)
National Chairpersons (43)
FIRST NATIONAL CHAIRMEN from The Clarinet, Volume 1, Number 2:
| Avram Galper |
Eastern Canada |
| Melvin Cooksey |
Western Canada |
| Neville Thomas |
Australia |
| Roger Salander |
Austria |
| Jack Brymer |
England |
| Christie Lundquist |
Mexico |
RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, REGIONAL CONFERENCES AND FESTIVALS:
Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britian
The Japan Clarinet Society
National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors
Atlanta Clarinet Association
ARIA International Summer Academy
Bowling Green Contemporary Clarinet Conference
Eastern Kentucky Clarinet Festival
Michigan Contemporary Clarinet Festival
Nebraska Midwest ClarFest
New Mexico Clarinet Club
Northern Illinois Clarinet Cornucopia
Ohio Clarinet Gala
Texas Tech Clarinet Symposium
Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium
Montevallo Clarinet Symposium
Montana/Idaho Clarinet Conference
Southern Appalachian Clarinet Retreat
Wisconsin Clarinet Celebration
OTHER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS:
Australasian Clarinet and Saxophone Conference
Beijing International Clarinet/Saxophone Festival
Belgian Clarinet Academy
CASS Festivals - United Kingdom
Domzale, Slovenia Clarinet Seminar
EuroCass Clarinet/Saxophone Festival & Course
German Clarinet Symposium in Düsseldorf
Hungarian Clarinet Camp
Icelandic Clarinet Festival
Japan Clarinet Society Conference
Le Domaine Forget, Quebec, Canada
Xi’an International Clarinet and Saxophone Festival
The following quote succinctly states who, what and why the International Clarinet Association is what it is today and for the future:
| • |
“Foremost among the numerous benefits of I.C.A. membership are the yearly conferences and the superb magazine…loaded with wide-ranging information about the clarinet, its repertoire, and clarinetists, past and present.” Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr - Professor of Clarinet, Michigan State University |
© Alan E. Stanek, Pocatello, Idaho 2007