Report by Lisa Kachouee
Sponsored by Truman State University, the Truman Clarinet Choir presented a recital at 12:00 p.m. in Crafton-Preyer Theatre, Sunday, August 7. Directed by Truman State’s Associate Professor of Clarinet, Jesse Krebs, the ensemble set the tone for their thoughtful, sensitive performance by completing their tuning sequence with a Bach chorale (performed without conductor). The opening selection was an arrangement of the polka from The Golden Age, Op. 22, by Dimitri Shostakovich. Arranged by Lyle Merriman, this demented yet charming polka highlighted the ensemble’s attention to detail in articulation and style.
Arranged by the ensemble’s contrabass clarinet player Kyle Rieger, Hymn of Acxiom was written in 2013 by singer/songwriter and pianist Vienna Teng. Rieger, struck by the beauty of the original work, arranged the song and successfully acquired performance rights for TSU’s ClarinetFest® performance. The ensemble communicated the soaring melodic material and harmony with remarkable sustain, constant care to balance, and excellent intonation.
The Truman Clarinet Choir completed their recital with “Itmar Freilach” from Alexis Ciesla’s Klezmer Suite. Four students performed improvised solos on E-flat, B-flat, and E-flat alto clarinets. Each performer brought unique ornamentation and inflection to the solos creating a diverse, colorful range of expression. The polished ensemble performance featured twenty-two TSU students.
Dr. Lisa Kachouee is on faculty at Oklahoma City University, teaches with El Sistema Oklahoma, and is a member of the clarinet and percussion ensemble Duo Rodinia. In addition to recent solo and duo concert tours, she made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2014 and has performed with orchestras throughout the United States.
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