Clarinet Students Attend Competitive Music Festivals

Brett Barger, a junior music education major, traveled to Ortona, Italy, for a week to participate in the Festival Suoni d’Abruzzo. There he performed both chamber music and with an orchestra, including Brahms' “Sonata No. 1,” Mozart’s “Divertimento No. 4” (clarinet trio), two of Spohr’s “Leider” with soprano and piano, Mozart’s “Clarinet Quintet” and the principal clarinet part on Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 4.”
 
Lucas Shroyer, a senior clarinet performance major, participated in the Bay View Music Festival in Michigan for several weeks where he received lessons and played chamber music with a number of different ensembles. The first three weeks included the wind institute, which consisted of intensive wind quintet training featuring rehearsals, coaching sessions, individual lessons and master classes. They had frequent ensemble and solo performance opportunities, including various weekly recitals and concerts. After the wind institute, Shroyer had the privilege to play in the pit orchestra for “The Sound of Music,” which was also produced as part of the music festival.

“I had a great time at the Bay View Music Festival this summer,” Shroyer said. “My favorite parts of the camp were the high-intensity, focus and standards, as well as the beautiful area of Michigan in which it took place.”
 
Ajdin Krdzalic, a junior clarinet performance major, attended the Lift Clarinet Academy in Colorado where he played in master classes, took lessons and gave solo performances. The academy consisted of about 20 students from all different parts of the United States and Canada. Each day of camp was filled with rehearsals for quartets and dedicated practice time. Outside of practicing, students would participate in clinics and master classes given by three faculty members from other universities. The students got lessons from each faculty member, which Krdzalic said was his favorite part of the camp. At the end of the week, each quartet gave a performance and everyone joined together to play in one big clarinet choir.

“Lift Clarinet Academy was an awesome experience and I’m super thankful that I got accepted and went. It was super cool to have so many people from all over who were passionate about the same thing as me,” Krdzalic said. “The camp was a blast and I was so thankful to make new friends and new connections outside of Truman with people that like the same thing that I do. I definitely learned a lot and I’m excited to share that new knowledge with Truman.”

Krdzalic also had the honor of being invited to perform with a wind symphony at the National Phi Mu Alpha Convention at Powell Hall in St. Louis, Missouri.