Academic and Performance Areas

First Annual Clarinet Day 2004

The first annual Clarinet Day, The Complete Clarinet: A Celebration of the Instrument and its Repertoire, was held on Saturday October 30, 2004 at the MSU School of Music. Dr. Caroline Hartig, assistant professor of clarinet at MSU, and other guests were a part of this full day of recitals and master classes for clarinetists of all levels.

Caroline Hartig is an acclaimed clarinet soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. She has appeared with orchestras and contemporary music ensembles in major concert halls including Carnegie Hall, where she made her solo debut in 1994. Widely recognized and sought after for her new-music collaborations, Hartig can be heard on the CD Dancing Solo, featuring the solo and chamber clarinet works of composer Libby Larsen. Hartig’s most recent CD, Clarinet Brilliante, was honored by the American Record Guide as a “Critics’ Choice.” Her artistry has been reviewed as “dazzling, with an uncanny sense of line, musical insight and prodigious technique...simply virtuosic” (The Clarinet) and “Hartig dazzles with numbing, blazing fluidity and rich, luxuriant fervor…coiled virtuosity” (The American Record Guide).

Hartig has been heard on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and Center Stage from Wolf Trap, and recently appeared as a guest artist at the 2004 International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest. Active as a master teacher and clinician, Hartig has been invited to present master classes nationally and internationally and was an Artist/Faculty of the 2004 Aria International Summer Music Academy.  She has served as a juror for performance competitions, including the 2003 International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition. Prior to joining MSU, she served as professor of clarinet at Ball State University. Hartig is a Buffet Artist/Clinician. To contact Caroline Hartig, visit www.CarolineHartig.com.

Following was the schedule of events for the day:

8:30-9 a.m.  Registration

Music Building Lobby

9-9:30 a.m.  The Essential Warm-Up

A participatory morning warm-up class to revitalize clarinet playing and musicianship.

9:30-10 a.m.  Know Your Scales

The scales game - important scales for daily practice and auditions; a hands-on workshop for all participants.

9:45-10 a.m.  Break

10-11 a.m.  Audition Preparation

How to prepare for college auditions, solo and ensemble contests, and recital/concerto performances, including a daily practice regimen for preparation and strategies to help conquer performance anxiety.

11-12:15 p.m.  Clarinet Choir and ensembles rehearsal/reading session

Rm. 120, Music Building

12:15-1:30 p.m.  Lunch Break

1:30-2:15 p.m.  The Contemporary Clarinetist - the clarinet as a solo instrument, including new music and contemporary techniques for clarinet.

2:30-3:30 p.m.  How to choose the right instrument and mouthpiece. Participants 

tried some new Buffet instruments and met Rob Olsen, Midwest Representative for Buffet Clarinets - The Music Group.

Rm. 120, Music Building

3:30-4:30 p.m.  Recital by clarinetist Caroline Hartig and pianist Deborah Moriarty, professor of piano at MSU.

4:30-5 p.m.  Final rehearsal for Festival Recital

5-6 p.m.  Festival Recital by participants and MSU students, including solo works, quartets and clarinet choir super work. 

This event was generously sponsored by the MSU School of Music and Buffet Clarinets -

The Music Group.