TMEA Audition Preparation Masterclass Series
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In an effort to prepare you as much as possible for success at the TMEA All-State and Region auditions, I have organized the TMEA Audition Preparation Masterclass Series.
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This series is FREE of CHARGE to my clarinet students when similar programs can cost $500 - $1000.
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Each week a different guest clinician who is a clarinet professor from around the country will hear five to six students play while everyone else observes and learns from the person playing and the person working with them.
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Performers have advance notice about when they are expected to perform.
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All others should attend as observers to listen and learn and then, ideally, avoid the same mistakes in their own playing.
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All masterclasses are on Sundays from 6pm to 8pm CST. Even if you have homework, I encourage you to attend to listen and learn.
SCHEDULE OF GUEST ARTIST CLINICIANS
Jesse Krebs is the Professor of Clarinet at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, where he instructs the clarinet studio, directs the Truman Clarinet Choir, and teaches the Music and Political Protest Junior Interdisciplinary Seminar. Dr. Krebs has performed guest recitals in Costa Rica, England, Thailand and Ireland, and he frequently performs as a substitute with the Kansas City Symphony. In 2002, he was one of three American semifinalists selected for the International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition and competed in Stockholm, Sweden. He received a D.M. in clarinet performance from the Florida State University, a M.M. in clarinet performance from the University of North Texas, and a B.M.E. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He performed on recitals at the ICA Conferences (ClarinetFest) in Ostend, Belgium (2018), Lincoln, NE (2012), Austin, TX (2010) and Kansas City, MO (2008), and he presented a lecture on the clarinet soloists of the John Philip Sousa Band at the 2006 ClarinetFest in Atlanta, GA. He also participated on the judging panel for the 2010, 2011 and 2015 ICA Research Competitions, and served as the ICA Research Coordinator from 2016 to 2018. Dr. Krebs was a guest performer at the 2011 Iowa Clarinet Day, the 2016 Arkansas Clarinet Day, the 2016 Eastern Kentucky Clarinet Festival, the 2017 South Dakota Clarinet Day, and the 2018 Midwest ClariFest (Nebraska). His articles have been published in The Clarinet journal, The Instrumentalist magazine,
September 27: Dr. Jesse Krebs - Professor of clarinet, Truman State University
the NACWPI journal, and the Missouri School Music magazine. Dr. Krebs was awarded the 2016 William O’Donnell Lee Advising Award and the 2018 Truman Academic Innovation Award, and he has been nominated five times for the Truman State University Educator of the Year Award.
Dr. Corey Mackey enjoys a multi-faceted career as an educator, orchestral musician, soloist, and chamber musician. He recently joined the faculty of Texas Christian University’s School of Music as the Assistant Professor of Clarinet. Mackey maintains a bustling national presence, while international tours have taken him to Europe and China. He has appeared with Cincinnati-based ensemble concert:nova, Orchestra Iowa, Quad Cities Symphony (IA), Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Flagstaff Symphony, Richmond Symphony (IN), and has performed and recorded an album with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure as Principal Clarinet of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra (2009-2020) he appeared as a featured soloist in concertos by Mozart and Copland. A proponent of new music, Mackey has premiered and/or commissioned works by Carter Pann, Libby Larsen, Adam Gorb, Jim Stephenson, William Neil, and Nathan Daughtrey. He is a founding member of the Mackey/Lienert Duo, a dynamic clarinet and percussion chamber ensemble whose debut album of new works for clarinet and percussion, Escape, was released in 2018 on the Mark Custom label. An in-demand pedagogue, Dr. Mackey has presented masterclasses and guest recitals at universities across the country and in China. He has performed at several conferences, including the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest, International Double Reed Society, International Tuba Euphonium Conference, Iowa Music Teachers Association, and the College Music Society’s National Conference.
October 4: dr. Corey Mackey - Assistant Professor of Clarinet, Texas Christian University
Additional endeavors have included his appointment as Artistic Director of the Mineral Point Chamber Music Festival (WI), Founder and Artistic Director of the Blue Dish Music Festival, ICA Wisconsin State Chair, and host of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra’s Gen S community outreach events. He has appeared as a guest artist several times on Wisconsin Public Radio’s All Classical Network and WDRT’s “Symphony Sunday” program. Dr. Mackey holds a D.M.A. from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, M.M. from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, and B.M. in Music Education and Performance from Northern Arizona University. His principal teachers include Burt Hara, Richie Hawley, Jonathan Gunn, Jeremy Reynolds, and Michael Sullivan. Prior to his appointment at TCU Dr. Mackey was the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville. He is a Buffet Group USA Artist – Clinician and D’Addario Performing Artist. Additional information about Dr. Mackey can be found at www.coreymackey.com
Critically acclaimed clarinetist Christopher Nichols enjoys a dynamic career with performances as a soloist and in ensembles across the United States and abroad. As a professional instrumental soloist, he received praise from the American Prize: “…lovely long line, evocative playing, flexible…tone is rich and round, welcoming, clean and elegant…fine performances from a skilled artist.”
Dr. Nichols regularly performs with orchestras such as the Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, the Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the Kennett Symphony and the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of Christiana Winds and has recently collaborated with the acclaimed Serafin String Quartet, the Taggart-Grycky Duo, and members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He has served for over a decade in Army Bands with performances throughout the United States, Germany, France and Austria. He is currently a member of the 287th Army Band in Wilmington, Delaware.
A dedicated pedagogue, Dr. Nichols joined the faculty of the University of Delaware School of Music in 2013 where he is Associate Professor of Clarinet. As an artist clinician, he regularly appears at universities throughout the United States. His students have found success in competitions, won positions in military bands, and serve as music educators.
October 11: dr. christopher nichols - Associate professor of clarinet, University of Delaware
Dr. Nichols has appeared as a featured soloist at conferences of the International Clarinet Association, European Clarinet Association, National Association of Collegiate Wind and Percussion Instructors and College Music Society. Live performances have been selected for inclusion in the Audio Performance Archive of College Music Symposium. Additionally, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and public radio in Kansas, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Michigan have broadcast both live performances and studio recordings. In 2015, the Delaware Division of the Arts awarded Dr. Nichols an Established Artist Fellowship in recognition for his work as a solo recitalist. He has released solo and chamber music recordings on internationally distributed labels including Navona Records, Viduus Records and Albany Records, which have won praise in publications such as Gramophone, Fanfare, NACWPI Journal, De Klarinet, and Pizzicato.
Dr. Nichols’ is an active member of the National Association for Music Education, College Music Society, Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, International Clarinet Association and Music Teachers National Association. He has served as the College Music Society Northeast Chapter’s Executive Board Member for Performance, and begins a second two year term on the executive board of the International Clarinet Association as secretary in September 2020.
Dr. Nichols holds a Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, from the Boston Conservatory, Master of Music from Kansas State University, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Kansas. His primary mentors include Ian Greitzer, Kenneth Radnofsky, Steven Barta, Tod Kerstetter and Stephanie Zelnick.
As a Légère Reeds Endorsing Artist, Silverstein Pro Team Artist, and a Buffet Crampon USA Artist Clinician, Dr. Nichols performs exclusively on Légère Signature Series reeds, Silverstein ligatures and Buffet R-13 clarinets. Additionally, he is an RCW Artist and plays on RCW clarinet barrels.
Hailed by critics as “simply sublime” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Dr. Stephanie Zelnick is the Professor of Clarinet at the University of Kansas and Principal Clarinet of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. As a solo, orchestral, and chamber musician she has appeared throughout North America, Asia, South America, and Europe. Performing at such venues as Carnegie Hall, The National Concert Hall in Taiwan, The Juilliard School, Northwestern University, Yale School of Music, and many other, she has received critical acclaim for her "committed and polished performances."(The Clarinet)
In addition to broadcasts on Performance Today and other NPR affiliates, she has performed and taught extensively in over 25 countries. Recent performances and masterclasses include the Lithuanian Academy of Music, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Festival Internacional de Clarinetes Costa Rica, Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid, the Academy for the Performing Arts in Prague, Indiana University, Eastman School of Music, and University of Michigan, among others. She is the recipient of awards from Privrednik, Serbia’s leading humanitarian organization, the Lithuanian Council on Arts and Science, The Fulbright Commission, and various American embassies.
Dr. Zelnick’s recordings can be heard on the Innova, Accademia del Clarinetto, and Naxos labels. Her recent project Wind and Bow, recorded with members of the Kansas City Symphony, features rare works for clarinet and string quartet and will be released in 2020. She was also recently featured on the Brazilian album Choro Joiado. She is a passionate supporter of promoting works by underrepresented composers and music as a catalyst for social change.
She has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras and has previously held principal clarinet positions in Central City Opera, Johann Strauss Opera in Vienna, Mississippi Symphony, Prague Opera Orchestra, Colorado Ballet, and Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and has appeared with various other groups. With Mariam Adam, she is a founder of the AdZel Duo, a group that is establishing cultural dialogues through music.
Previous teaching positions include the University of Wyoming and the University of Northern Colorado. An established pedagogue, Dr. Zelnick’s students have gone on to hold teaching and performing jobs throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. She has served on the National Peer Review Committee of the Fulbright Commission and is a Buffet-Crampon Clarinet Artist and Clinician.
october 18: dr. stephanie Zelnick - Professor of clarinet, the university of kansas
october 25: Dr. lucas willsie - aPPLIED clarinet & Bassoon, central methodist university
Praised for his “accentuated juxtaposition of lyrical lines and passagework” (The Clarinet Online), Lucas Willsie continues to make a name for himself as a soloist and pedagogue. Currently, Dr. Willsie teaches applied clarinet and bassoon at Central Methodist University’s Swinney Conservatory of Music in Fayette, MO. He completed his DMA in clarinet performance at the University of North Texas where he taught Woodwind Methods for undergraduate music education students. He has performed as a soloist across North America and Europe. Lucas has performed with the North Texas Symphony Orchestra and can be heard on several recordings as a member of the North Texas Wind Symphony including a recording of Gernot Wolfgang’s Three Short Stories as bass clarinet soloist. Lucas is a member of the Hijinx Clarinet Quartet which regularly performs around the United States with the goal of bringing a hybrid of musical experiences to diverse audiences using traditional chamber music, new compositions, multimedia, and more! He has performed with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, the Sherman Symphony Orchestra, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, and Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra. He also performed William Bolcom’s Concerto for Clarinet with the Truman State University Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the Gold Medal Concerto Competition. Lucas also holds a master's degree in clarinet performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and bachelor's degrees in music education and clarinet performance from Truman State University. His primary teachers include Dr. Kimberly Cole Luevano, Dr. Diane Barger, and Dr. Jesse Krebs.
Lori Ardovino has been a guest recitalist at a number of colleges and universities and international and national festivals including the International Clarinetfest, The International Alliance for Women in Music Congress, NACWPI , NACUSA ,Southeastern Composers League, the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, the College Music Society and the Alabama Music Educators. Dr. Ardovino received the 2013-14 Alabama State Council for the Arts Artist Fellowship was chosen the University of Montevallo University Scholar for 2013. She has received the Creative and Scholarly Projects Grant from the University of Montevallo in 2013, 2014, and 2017 and was the 2012 recipient of the Escape to Create artist residency in Seaside, FL. She is an active composer and has had her works performed across the United States, Japan, Italy and Canada. Her CD’s include, From A Crack In The Wall-clarinet music by Alabama Composers, Between Walls-saxophone music by Alabama Composers, The LeBaron Trio-works for clarinet, piano and voice, and Saxophone Music by Living Women Composers. She is a graduate of Minnesota State University-Moorhead (BM, BA), Michigan State University (MM) and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (DMA).
She is an Artist/Clinician with Conn-Selmer Company, D’Addario Woodwinds and is a Fulbright Specialist. Currently, she is Professor Music at the University of Montevallo where she teaches clarinet, saxophone and woodwind methods and ensembles. She performs with the LeBaron Trio, the Meàllo Trio, the Vinna Trio and the Cahaba Saxophone Quartet.
november 1: dr. lori ardovino - professor of music, university of montevallo
november 8: dr. christopher ayer - professor of clarinet, stephen f. Austin state university
Dr. Christopher Ayer, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and a graduate of Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada, is an active performing artist and educator having taught clarinet at the college level for the past 24 years-20 at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas where he is Professor of Clarinet. Over the past ten years he has presented clinics at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, the Texas Bandmasters Association Conference, and the Midwest Clinic, as well as performing at the International Clarinet Association’s annual ClarinetFest. Dr. Ayer’s performances and masterclasses over that time have taken him to Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and across the United States. With his wife, Kae Hosoda-Ayer, he performs chamber recitals as Duo Karudan. He holds graduate degrees in clarinet performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Dr. Ayer is a Yamaha Artist-Clinician and performs exclusively on the YCL-CSVR-ASP B-flat and A clarinets.
november 15: dr. diane barger - Professor of clarinet, University of nebraska-lincoln
Diane Barger is Professor of Clarinet and member of the Moran Woodwind Quintet at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she received the 2013 Annis Chaikin Sorensen Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Humanities and the 2001 Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Distinguished College Teaching Award. She is principal clarinet of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra and is highly active with service to the International Clarinet Association (ICA) as President-Elect (2020-2022), Nebraska State Chair (2010-2020), Pedagogy Chair (2016-2018), Past Artistic Director of ICA’s ClarinetFest® 2012, Past Treasurer (2000-2010), and Coordinator of the High School Solo Competition (2003-2005). She also serves as NACWPI Nebraska State Chair and is an Artist/Clinician for Buffet Crampon, D’Addario Woodwinds, and Silverstein Works. In addition to her work as a collegiate educator, Barger actively works with pre-college clarinetists and is involved in mentoring her cadre of clarinet instructors at Cornerstone Academy of Clarinet, LLC where she serves as Founder and Professor of Clarinet.
Barger remains an active soloist and chamber musician, master class clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States and abroad. Praised by critics for her “great virtuosity and flair” and “exquisite artistry”, Barger’s numerous CD recordings as a soloist and chamber musician are found on the Potenza Music and Crystal Records music labels: Play Pretty (2020) with the Amicitia Duo, Conversations with Friends featuring music for clarinet, bassoon, and piano by the Trio 402 (2016),BlingBling (2012) featuring music by Scott McAllister, Music
of Theodore Blumer with the Moran Quintet, volumes II and III (2004 and 2007), and Postcards from the Center (1998). A specialist in the genre of operatic fantasies for clarinet based on Vincenzo Bellini operas, Barger can be heard as a featured soloist on the International Clarinet Association's 1998 Recording Project and published 13 editions of Bellini operatic fantasies by various 19th-Century composers, all of which are available through Potenza Music.
Barger received the Doctor of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Florida State University where she was a student of Frank Kowalsky. While completing the Graduate Certificate in Performance and Master of Music degrees from Northwestern University she was a student of Robert Marcellus. In addition to being a member of the International Clarinet Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Music Teachers National Association, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, and Sigma Alpha Iota, Barger served as Chair of the Woodwind Area at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2000-2020.
november 29: dr. daniel becker - assistant professor of music, valley city state university
International soloist Daniel Becker is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota. Dr. Becker spent five years performing with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra (WA), including two seasons as principal clarinet of the group. He currently serves as second clarinet of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed extensively with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, and Tucson Pops Orchestra. He has performed and given clinics and master classes throughout the United States and abroad in Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, and Canada. Also a music theorist and public speaker, Dr. Becker has presented his research and given talks multiple times at the University of Arizona, abroad at the 2nd Annual Conference for the Study of Progressive Rock in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the 2016 International Clarinet Association Research Competition, and at the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression at Central Washington University. Originally from Henderson, Nevada, Dr. Becker holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees, both in Clarinet Performance, from the University of Arizona and Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Wind Performance from Central Washington University. His teachers have included Jerry Kirkbride, Florie Rothenberg, Joseph Brooks, and Felix Viscuglia.
december 5: dr. kip franklin - assistant professor of clarinet, university of south alabama
Kip Franklin is the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of South Alabama. A native of Michigan, Dr. Franklin has performed in concerts with the Saginaw, Midland, Jackson, Dearborn, and Toledo symphonies, as well as in festivals throughout the United States and in Europe. As a member of the Fresco Winds woodwind quintet, Dr. Franklin performed at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2011 and 2012, and was a finalist in the 2011 J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition. An advocate of new music, Dr. Franklin was a part of the consortium for David Maslanka’s Eternal Garden: Four Songs for Clarinet and Piano (2009) and his Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble (2014). He has presented and performed at the International Clarinet Association Conventions in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Columbus, Ohio; and Birmingham, Alabama; as well as the College Music Society Great Lakes Regional Conference. Prior to USA, Dr. Franklin was on the faculty of Saginaw Valley State University.
In addition to performing and teaching, Dr. Franklin served as a woodwind adjudicator for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. As a guest clinician he has presented master classes at numerous high schools and universities across the country. His international experience includes studies at the Centro Studi Carlo della Giacoma (Italy), the Vianden Music Festival (Luxembourg), and the Institut Français des Alps (France).
Dr. Franklin is a member of the International Clarinet Association, The College Music Society, and Pi Kappa Lambda. His clarinet teachers include Caroline Hartig, Kennen White, Theodore Oien, and Guy Yehuda. Dr. Franklin also studied music theory and composition with Gordon Sly, José-Luis Maurtua, and David Gillingham.
