Originally published in The Clarinet 51/1 (December 2023).

Printed copies of The Clarinet are available for ICA members.

ClarinetFest® 2024

by Jason Alder, Peter Cigleris, and Sarah Watts

éad míle fáilte—welcome—to ClarinetFest® 2024 in Dublin, July 31–August 4, 2024!

As we step into 2024, preparations are in full flow for ClarinetFest® 2024. The ICA is looking forward to returning to Europe for the first time since 2018, and bringing the global clarinet community to Dublin, Ireland, for a festival that will embrace inclusivity and diversity.

In Dublin, where “Every Clarinetist is Connected,” we will celebrate “Culture, Heritage and Music from Around the World.” Dublin will be a program of music, lectures, and roundtables that showcases your proposals, all genres of music, all types of clarinets, and music that is unique to each individual performer.

We will be welcoming Ireland’s ConTempo Quartet to play with some of our headliner artists. We will also have a World Music Night celebrating Irish Folk music, and a Jazz Night with an Indian twist. The final Sunday will have a bass clarinet feature including an opportunity to play in a mass bass clarinet choir.

There will be a strong emphasis on participating, and there will be plenty of opportunities for all to rehearse and play with our ICA clarinet choirs, participate in master classes and discussions, and attend a huge range of performances and lectures. The ICA committees will also be offering everything from warmups and sessions on health and wellness to talks on pedagogy, new music repertoire, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

All events will take place in the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), which is in the Docklands overlooking the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The ICA will be releasing hotel blocks close to the venue, plus student accommodations at Trinity College, with details on the ICA website. The closest international airport is Dublin, and this is an easy coach or taxi ride into the center of Dublin. (Please note that if you are traveling with a larger clarinet on Ryanair, book an extra seat and read their rules.)

The artistic leadership team—Jason Alder, Peter Cigleris, and Sarah Watts—would like to thank all who submitted proposals for ClarinetFest® 2024. Your submissions have made this a festival for all.

Do take a few days either side of ClarinetFest® 2024 to explore Dublin and the whole of the Island of Ireland. This is a perfect destination for the 51st ClarinetFest® and a summer break.

Contact us at [email protected].

St Stephen’s Green in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland