Under the direction of Associate Professor Jonathan Guist and Professor Lorne O’Neil, the UTRGV Clarinet Ensemble will make their way to Ostend, Belgium, to perform at ClarinetFest 2018.
ClarinetFest is an annual conference hosted by the International Clarinet Association for clarinet ensembles and enthusiasts to attend and participate in many musical activities.
The fest runs from July 6 to 11, with many notable concerts and exhibitions.
Guist said he is excited about the ensemble’s invitation to perform and the chance to represent the university overseas.
“The initial reaction was, you know, fantastic. We’re very excited,” he said. “We didn’t know how we were going to afford the trip, however. So, we were looking at a lot of fundraising and things like that.”
In order to receive funds for the trip, Guist and O’Neil reached out to Student Services fees and requested assistance.
“Then, we applied for help from the university through the Student Services fees, and we’re very fortunate that they awarded us some money from that application, so that’s primarily what’s going to enable us to go,” Guist said. “Once we knew we had that, then we got really excited because we knew it was going to become a reality.”
The ensemble is preparing three pieces for its performance, “Recombobulation” by American composer and clarinetist Theresa Martin, a piece by Belgian composer César Franck, and the orchestral transcription of the overture to the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by Russian composer Mikhail Glinka.
Martin’s piece was commissioned and dedicated to late Belgian clarinetist Guido Six.
Regarding the most difficult piece of the three, Guist said it was that of Six’s dedication.
“It’s contemporary and the rhythms are very complex and intricate, and it’s for sure the most difficult piece,” he said.
Amber Vela, a music education sophomore and secretary of the Clarion Broken Reed Clarinet Society, expressed her enthusiasm when she found out the ensemble would be heading to Belgium and that the university had provided funds.
“I think it makes us look really good, especially since we’re a smaller university,” Vela said. “I think it shows bigger universities that we’re also a force to be reckoned with.”
She is most looking forward to seeing other ensembles play and the diverse orchestras that will attend.
“I think they’re a lot better [orchestras] in Europe than they are in the United States,” Vela said. “It will be really cool to see how different they sound compared to orchestras in the United States.”
In contrast to Vela’s excitement, music education senior Tiffany Nerio, president of the same student organization, was hesitant at first on hearing the news.
“When I first heard about it, I was actually really scared,” Nerio said. “I didn’t want to go because I’m really scared of planes and I have this anxiety when I’m on a plane. But, my dad had told me, ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if the school is paying for it, then you’re going to regret it if you don’t go.’”
Despite her fear, she said she is happy to be given the opportunity to attend the event and is most looking forward to seeing international ensembles play.
“I’m more than sure there’s going to be all different types of people at the festival,” Nerio said. “I think that’s going to be really interesting and fun.”
The group will practice all summer until the event.
However, be on the lookout, as they will raise funds with car washes and other activities for food expenses while in Ostend.
