by Jana Starling

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The ClarinetFest® Program Library and Database was an independent initiative created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ICA conference and to document its programming history. Starting in 2022, Emily Kerski (US Army Band “Pershing’s Own”) spent hours at the University of Maryland scanning all programs housed in the ICA Research Library (most donated by Alan Stanek). Throughout 2023 and 2024, with hiring support from Western University (Ontario, Canada), two clarinet students and I collected the remaining programs and digitized all the works programmed over the past 50 years.

The initial goal was to create a useful repertoire database to provide long-term and far-reaching access to the conference’s creative output. However, this goal soon grew to include artist names, composer dates and country affiliations, lecture topics, master classes, and exhibitors. The database now lists over 10,000 performed works (with premiere indications), 700+ lectures, 150+ master classes, countless artists, and over 1,300 participating exhibitors—all searchable through various spreadsheet tools. The project took years to complete, and I intend to continue with edits and updates. I hope it aids future conference planning and artist applications and, most importantly, serves as a valuable resource for all members, extending the life of these incredible artistic contributions.

THE ANALYSIS

During the digitization process, I could see a valuable visual story unfold. Viewing all the programs felt like flipping rapidly through a picture flipbook that turned into an animated “movie.” The foundation laid by artists and industry leaders became visibly clear, along with the progression in aesthetic interests, social adaptations, advocacy impact, and influential trends.

My goal is to share the wonder I experienced while building the database and to tell a story through a “light” statistical analysis. I say “light” for three reasons:

1   There is certainly a margin of error due to human factors throughout the process—artist submissions, program errors, possible last-minute conference changes, and mistakes in digitization. However, for the broad scope of inquiries here, the data is accurate enough.

2   Assumptions sometimes had to be made regarding the country affiliations of artists and composers,¹ gender identity, and in cases where program information was indeterminate.

3   I am not a statistician, but I am familiar enough with research analysis to acknowledge that this analysis has some flaws. For example, the database analysis represents the quantity of works rather than their duration and does not account for other possible factors. Perhaps it can serve as a starting point for those wishing to delve deeper.

The areas for which I chose to provide statistics are:

• Conference Locations
• Scale of Conferences
• Work Premieres
• Country Affiliations of Soloists
• Solo Works: Instrument Distribution
• Gender Representation of Soloists and Composers
• Unaccompanied Works
• Electronic Works
• Small Ensembles and Clarinet Choirs
• Jazz
• Conference Components
• Lecture Topics
• Performers
• Exhibitors
• Bonus Tidbits

It is important to keep in mind that, unless otherwise stated, in this analysis:

1   The statistics cover the years 1973–2023.

2   “Soloist” refers to a clarinet artist performing a work featuring only one clarinetist (of any type). Works may include piano, electronics, or other instruments, and may be unaccompanied or involve a large ensemble (other than clarinet choir). Data involving works with multiple clarinetists is not included here due to the challenges it presented but could be a focus in the future.

3   Percentages and totals represent the number of works, not performance duration. Thus, multiple shorter pieces by one artist or composer result in higher representation compared to an artist performing fewer longer works.

4   The five decades are defined as:

–   1973 to 1982 – First decade

–   1983 to 1992 – Second decade

–   1993 to 2002 – Third decade

–   2003 to 2012 – Fourth decade

–   2013 to 2023 – Fifth decade (with 2020 omitted)

However, trends in programming have musical and cultural influences that likely do not align precisely with these calendar years.

CONFERENCE LOCATIONS

The conference started in Denver, Colorado and took place there for the first five years. In 1978, it went to its first new location, and an international one, in Toronto, Canada. After returning back to Denver for the next two years, the conference would continue to be hosted in a different location each year. The chart below shows the conference locations and years from 1973 to 2024. While some countries have hosted multiple conferences, the US has hosted 34 conferences: Colorado (8 times), Texas (3 times), Ohio (3 times), Illinois (2 times), Arizona (2 times), Louisiana (2 times), Washington, Virginia, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington DC, Georgia, Missouri, California, Nebraska, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada.

SCALE OF CONFERENCES

The total number of performed works from 1973 to 2023 is 9,938. The top four years for conference quantity of works are 2013, 2018, 2019, and 2023, with 2018 in Ostend, Belgium, holding the highest at 833 performed works. Below is the highest year of each decade:

• 1981 in France, highest with 91 works (first decade)
• 1992 in Ohio, highest with 74 works (second decade)
• 1998 in Ohio, highest with 129 works (third decade)
• 2011 in Los Angeles, highest with 326 works (fourth decade)
• 2018 in Belgium, highest with 833 works (fifth decade)

The significant increase from the third to fourth decade corresponds with the start of simultaneous performances in ClarinetFest® 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. Between 1998 and 2005, some conferences programmed a lecture/master class at the same time as a performance, but before that period, all event types were scheduled successively. Conferences with simultaneous events started modestly with two performances and one lecture/master class occurring at the same time, and this gradually became the norm. Conferences can now have as many as six performances and two lectures overlapping each other and use multiple venues with up to 12 performance spaces.

WORKS PREMIERED

In the database, any type of premiere is listed simply as a premiere, without specifying whether it is a country, conference, or world premiere. The average percentage of premieres relative to total works each decade is listed here:

• 1973–1982: 3% premieres
• 1983–1992: 4% premieres
• 1993–2002: 5% premieres
• 2003–2012: 6% premieres
• 2013–2023: 9.5% premieres

Looking at years with the highest number of total performed works:

• 2018 had 9% premiered works
• 2023 had 17%
• 2024 had 22%

COUNTRY AFFILIATIONS OF SOLOISTS

The country affiliations of soloists, referenced from artist bios and internet searches, show a gradual increase in the global involvement and programming of artists. In Denver, 1973, there were eight solo clarinetists representing three countries: the US, the UK, and France. To illustrate the growth: there were 24 soloists in 1985 (Ohio), 74 in 1999 (Belgium), and 179 in 2015 (Spain).

From 1974 to 1980, joining the US, the UK, and France, soloists from the following countries were programmed: Canada, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Belgium, and New Zealand. Below are the first years that soloists from additional countries joined the conference lineup:

• 1981 – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain
• 1984 – Sweden, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands
• 1986 – China
• 1991 – Chile
• 1992 – Austria
• 1993 – Luxembourg, Portugal
• 1994 – Romania, Russia
• 1995 – Finland
• 1996 – Croatia, Cuba, Poland
• 1997 – Armenia, South Korea
• 1999 – Iceland, Israel, Venezuela
• 2000 – Mexico, Slovenia
• 2002 – Denmark
• 2005 – Peru, Taiwan
• 2006 – Colombia, Greece
• 2007 – Ukraine
• 2008 – Georgia
• 2011 – India
• 2012 – Uruguay
• 2013 – Albania, Serbia
• 2014 – Guatemala
• 2015 – Costa Rica, Scotland
• 2016 – Lithuania
• 2017 – Bulgaria, Macedonia, Syria
• 2018 – South Africa, Thailand
• 2019 – Cyprus, Ecuador
• 2021 – Estonia, Ireland
• 2023 – Turkey, Bolivia

SOLO INSTRUMENT DISTRIBUTION

Now, a look at the numbers regarding solo performances on the soprano A/B-flat clarinet versus auxiliary instruments. Of the total performed pieces (row entries in the spreadsheet), about 50% are in the “soloist” category as defined earlier. Of the 5,179 “soloist” works:

• 85% were performed on the A/B-flat soprano clarinet
• 8% on the bass clarinet
• 7% on other auxiliaries

The 342 auxiliary works break down as follows:

• 190 on the basset horn
• 79 on the E-flat/D clarinet
• 58 on contrabass
• 9 on basset clarinet (excluding Mozart K. 622 entries)
• 3 each on contralto and alto clarinet

BASS CLARINET SOLOISTS

Enthusiasm for the bass clarinet as a solo instrument is evident today and has been growing steadily at conferences. Interestingly, six of the 35 solos at the inaugural 1973 conference were bass clarinet works (performed by Vincent Abato). However, the next bass clarinet solo did not appear until 1977. Continuing on, there was one bass clarinet work in 1981, followed by a burst of nine works performed by Josef Horák in 1982.

In the second decade, there were typically one or two bass clarinet solos each conference. The year 1993 saw five solos, and double digits were first reached in 1994 with 13 solos performed by Harry Sparnaay and Michael Lowenstern. The numbers hovered around low double digits until a notable expansion:

• 23 solos in 2013
• 34 solos in 2023
• 47 solos in 2024!

Henri Bok, a renowned Dutch bass clarinetist, is among the artists with the most conference performances overall. But nothing demonstrates the passion and stature of the bass clarinet more than the creation of ICA’s Low Clarinet Festival in Glendale, Arizona, in 2023.

GENDER REPRESENTATION

Given the recent rise in awareness and concerns about gender equality across many musical industries, it is valuable to examine gender representation over the 50 years of ICA conference programming. However, gathering this data raises several considerations, such as the classification of gender identities, potential changes in personal identity over time, and privacy concerns. Additionally, the data gathered from conference programs only reflects the ratios of programmed artists, not the ratios of artists who submitted proposals.

Despite these complexities, it felt important to explore gender representation. Therefore, I examined the category of “soloists” and identified artists as male or female. Recognizing that not everyone may be described by these two categories, there is an inherent margin of error in this classification.

REPRESENTATION IN WORKS PERFORMED BY ONE CLARINETIST

Of the total “soloist” works, the percentage of female performers grew from 8% in the first decade to 50% in the most recent decade. The first, third, and fourth decades show the greatest disparities, while the largest increase in female representation occurred between the fourth and fifth decades.

REPRESENTATION IN SOLOISTS PERFORMING WITH LARGE ENSEMBLES

Conferences often program soloists to perform with larger ensembles (orchestra, band, jazz ensemble, string quartet) in the evenings. These artists have come to be known as headlining performers. Evening concerts represent a significant resource investment from the organization and often involve company sponsorships for the artists. Therefore, these performances are scheduled without competition from other events or exhibits and typically draw strong attendance.

Of the 117 soloists who have performed with orchestra, 8.5% have been female artists. Since the first soloist-and-orchestra collaboration in 1984, 10 out of the 117 soloists have been female. The first two female soloists were programmed in 1989 in the second decade. In the third decade, three females were featured as soloists with orchestra, while the fourth decade only featured one. The final decade programmed a total of four female soloists with orchestra, one in each of the 2013, 2014, 2019, and 2023 programs.

Programming of soloists with wind ensemble began in 1987. Since then, female clarinet soloists have comprised 15% of the 82 total programmed artists. One woman performed in 1987 (second decade), one in 1997 (third decade), seven in the fourth decade, and five since 2017 in the final decade.

Among soloists who have performed with string quartets, women have represented 10%. The first female clarinetist appeared in 2005, with most performances by women occurring after 2011. Clarinet quintets have been programmed since 1976 and have appeared at various times during the conference. However, because headlining artists often perform clarinet quintets in evening slots, I have included this category with large ensemble performances.

Out of 24 soloists who have performed with a full jazz ensemble, as listed in the written programs, two have been women: Doreen Ketchens (2014 and 2022) and Virginia MacDonald (2023).

GENDER REPRESENTATION OF COMPOSERS

Interestingly, several conference years in the first two decades featured zero works by women composers, despite early representation in 1973. From the first to the second decade, the percentage of works by women composers doubled from 2% to 4%. After plateauing in the third and fourth decades, this figure more than doubled again in the most recent decade, reaching 11%. ClarinetFest® 2023 marked a high point, with women composers representing 23% of the programmed works.

REPERTOIRE

UNACCOMPANIED WORKS

There have been 1,569 performances of unaccompanied works, with 77% performed on soprano A/B-flat clarinet and 23% on bass clarinet or other auxiliary clarinets. The share of auxiliary clarinet unaccompanied works grew from 0.6% in the first decade to 3.8% in the fifth decade. Interestingly, unaccompanied soprano clarinet works made up 16% of all soloist performances in the first decade, decreasing to 11% in the most recent decade. This may correlate with the rise in works for soprano clarinet combined with audio and/or visual media.

WORKS WITH ELECTRONICS

For this section, I referenced all works with electronics, excluding those for quartets or larger ensembles. Labeling a work as “with electronics” refers to any type of audio/visual contribution. Unfortunately, conference programs often omitted this detail, requiring confirmation online when possible—so a margin of error should be expected.

The first programmed work involving electronics appeared in Toronto, Canada, in 1978, with the premiere of Morton Subotnik’s Passages of the Beast, performed by Ramon Kireilis. From this first decade through the fourth, works with electronics accounted for 2% of all works; this doubled to 4% from 2013 to 2023.

Of the total recognized works with electronics, 233 (68%) feature or include soprano clarinet, 104 (30%) feature or include bass clarinet, 3 (1%) include E-flat clarinet, and 5 (1%) involve other auxiliary clarinets.

The two soprano clarinetists most active in this field have been F. Gerard Errante (with a significant lead, particularly active from 1993 to 2002) and William O. Smith (notably active over two decades, 1981–1996).

Bass clarinet works with electronics began appearing in 1994, despite earlier individual presence of both elements. Significant influencers in this category include Harry Sparnaay (Netherlands), Michael Lowenstern (US, with the largest number of performed works), and Linda Merrick (UK).

The final two categories—works with electronics and E-flat clarinet or other auxiliaries—have been championed in the UK, particularly in recent decades, by artists such as Sarah Watts, Jason Alder, and Linda Merrick. The first such work was Four Interludes from a Tragedy by Harrison Birtwistle, performed by Alan Hacker (UK) in 1984 on basset horn with tape.

SMALL ENSEMBLES & CLARINET CHOIRS

Performances of chamber works with strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass) have been declining. Once representing 3% of performed works in the first decade, they plateaued at 2% before dropping to 1% in the most recent decade.

In contrast, clarinet duos, trios, and quartets (excluding piano) have generally risen. Duo performances have doubled and tripled, stabilizing at about 6% of works since 2003. Clarinet trios started at 0.3%, peaked at 3.3% (1993–2002), and have held steady at 2% since 2003.

Clarinet quartets have surged, including 59 bass clarinet quartets in the past two decades. Quartets represented 3% in the first decade, doubled by the mid-1990s, and soared to 19% in 2003–2012 before settling at 10% in the most recent decade. These latter figures are significant, exceeding the percentage of unaccompanied soprano clarinet works and signaling a shift in programming and proposals.

CLARINET CHOIRS

Another notable shift has been in clarinet choir programming. The first choir to perform at the conference was the Florida Junior College Clarinet Choir, conducted by Bruce Dinkins in 1977. Since then, 1,445 choir works have been performed, representing 14% of total works. This includes 31 low auxiliary clarinet choir works, the first of which appeared in 2010. Decade percentages for choir works are: 8% (first decade), a drop to 2%, then 9%, for the next two decades, and a significant jump to 17% since 2013.

The first two decades mainly featured US-based choirs, often from specific universities or high schools. A major shift occurred in the third decade, particularly in 1993 (Belgium), with the inclusion of international community groups such as the Finnish Clarinet Society Ensemble, Piet Jeegers Clarinet Choir, and Clarinet Choir RCM London. Since then, we have seen similar groups, including the British Clarinet Ensemble, Coro de Clarinetes de México, various New Horizons Band ensembles, and the Licorice Sticks Clarinet Orchestra.

In 1994 (Chicago), the Belgian Claribel Clarinet Choir, conducted by Guido Six, made its ICA conference debut. They went on to perform 49 works over eight appearances in locations including Chicago, Paris, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Orlando, Belgium, and Ireland (2024). The remarkable impact of this group—and the dedication of Guido, Chantal, and the Six family—is reflected in the frequent performances of their literature and a growing enthusiasm for clarinet choirs evidenced by the number of choirs performing and the addition of multiple ClarinetFest® choirs.

JAZZ

The first appearance of jazz programming at the conferences was in 1976, featuring two segments titled Jazz performed by clarinetist Buddy DeFranco. The next instance was in 1979, with a jazz trio featuring Eddie Daniels. Tracking DeFranco’s and Daniels’s appearances suggests they alternated festivals until 1998, when both performed with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra—the first large jazz ensemble listed in the programs. Prior to that, jazz clarinetists typically played with trios (drums, bass, piano/guitar) or with unlisted collaborators.

DeFranco continued performing at the festivals in 2001, 2005, and 2006, while Daniels appeared in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018, mixing jazz and classical genres, and solo and collaborative works. Other frequently programmed jazz artists include Paquito D’Rivera, Tad Calcara, Ken Peplowski, Doreen Ketchens, and Ron Odrich. Jazz has not only headlined evening concerts but has also been woven throughout the conference, with many artists crossing over into the genre in varied ensembles.

CONFERENCE COMPONENTS

One aspect I had not considered much until participating in conference planning was the proportion of performances, lectures/workshops, and master classes in the programming mix. Using the database, it is possible to track this breakdown year by year—an insight that could be useful for future organizers. When comparing charts from the first decade (left) and the most recent decade (right), one can see an exponential growth in performances, while lectures have taken a smaller share of the program (see Fig. 3).

LECTURE TOPICS

To get a sense of trends in lecture content, I categorized 50 years of topics from lectures and workshops, including lectures that happened as part of the ICA Research Competition. (Note that this competition began in 1998 and I could only take account of the years when a title and/or description was provided in the conference program.)

The topics were categorized into broad categories, assigned to their respective decades, and percentages were charted. The broad categories are: clarinet fundamentals, equipment, pedagogy, health/psychology, repertoire, and career development. Below are some general observations:

• Career development has seen a 400% increase.
• Equipment topics peaked in the 1980s and have been decreasing since.
• Clarinet fundamentals lectures were highest in the first decade and have been declining since.
• Orchestral topics have low representation but have remained consistent.
• Topics centered around history have steadily increased since the first decade.
• Topics on technology and contemporary music were more prevalent in the early and recent decades, with a dip in the middle decades.
• Health and psychology lectures were nearly absent in the first decade, saw a burst in the second, and have continued to increase.
• Pedagogical topics have been fairly consistent but saw a significant increase in the past 20 years.
• Repertoire topics are the largest category, remaining fairly consistent, with higher percentages in the earlier decades.
• Lectures on performance styles such as jazz and klezmer were rare in earlier years but have increased steadily since the 1990s.
• Social issues were not addressed until the last decade, when they became the subject of 4% of lectures.

PERFORMERS

While quantity is not the goal in itself, it demonstrates a high level of commitment and passion to contribute. Many clarinet artists have performed extensively at conferences from 1973 to 2024. Although the majority of these artists are men, I have chosen to highlight both male and female artists with significant numbers of solo performances, total performances, and conference appearances.

MALE CLARINET ARTISTS

• Bass clarinetist Henri Bok has performed the most works, with 95 performances over 14 conferences, including 34 solo works.
• Clarinetist Robert Spring has appeared at the most conferences—27 (over half!)—with 52 solo works out of 88 total performances.
• F. Gerard Errante, a champion of clarinet and electronic works, has performed 54 solo works out of 71 total performances over 14 conferences.

FEMALE CLARINET ARTISTS

• Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr leads with the highest number of solo performances, with 64 works over 15 conferences.
• Julia Heinen and Sarah Watts both have 41 performances. Watts performed 29 solo works over 10 conferences, while Heinen performed 23 solo works over 17 conferences.
• Diane Barger, Julie DeRoche, Michele Gingras, Caroline Hartig, and Michele Zukovsky have each appeared at 10 to 15 conferences, with 30 to 40 performances. For Zukovsky and Gingras, at least 80% of their performances were solo works.

EXHIBITORS

Exhibits are a significant and appealing component of every conference. They not only provide financial support but also serve as an important educational resource for participants. Exhibitors offer firsthand knowledge and detailed explanations of their products, allowing participants to explore and test various types of equipment. Additionally, exhibit booths represent a range of organizations, from small businesses and large corporations to colleges and military ensembles.

Unfortunately, many conference programs did not list exhibitors (perhaps they were on a separate insert), so the data is incomplete. Based strictly on the programs, the first year to list exhibits was 1987, featuring 24 exhibitors. Instrument makers and designers like Buffet Crampon, Selmer, and Yamaha participated in 1987 and have been exhibitors for more than 30 conferences. Other notable businesses with frequent representation are listed below (an asterisk indicates they exhibited in the first listed year):

• *Luyben Music – 23+ years
• *Weiner Music Co. – 22+ years
• *Rico (21+ years) / D’Addario (11 years)
• BG Franck Bichon – 22+ years
• Luis Rossi Clarinets – 21+ years
• Vandoren – 17+ years
• Backun Musical Services – 17+ years
• Muncy Winds – 17+ years
• Behn Mouthpieces – 17+ years
• Wiseman Cases Ltd – 15+ years
• Clark W. Fobes Clarinet Products – 15+ years
• Rovner Products – 14+ years
• James M. Pyne Mouthpieces – 13+ years

BONUS TIDBITS

Did you know?…

• In 1984, saxophonist John Harle performed four works for saxophone and piano, and the London Saxophone Quartet (featuring Paul Harvey on soprano sax) played a full recital.
• Debussy’s Première rhapsodie and Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata are the two most frequently performed standard works, each played 60+ times.
• Maria Theresia von Paradis was the first woman composer to be programmed, performed by Vincent Abato on bass clarinet in 1973.
• The first four women to perform at the conferences were Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr (1974), Christie Lundquist (1974), Michele Zukovsky (1976), and Sandra Powell (1977).
• In 1973, Vincent Abato performed Stravinsky’s Three Pieces on bass clarinet.
• In 1992, George Trimbitas performed on the tárogató, accompanied by accordion.
• Guy Deplus and Larry Combs are tied for presenting the most master classes and lectures.

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I’d like to thank the two Western University clarinet students, Harry Zheng and Johnny Tan, who worked many hours digitizing, categorizing, and researching online to bring this project to life. If you are a member and have participated in a ClarinetFest®, please check out the database on the ICA website and send any corrections.

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ENDNOTES

1     Nationality could not always be determined from program book data, so for the purposes of this project, “country affiliation” refers to the country in which a person appeared to largely live or work.

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Jana Starling is an associate professor at Western University (Ontario, Canada) in clarinet performance studies. She is a Buffet-Crampon and Gonzalez Reeds artist.