ClarinetFest® 2025 in Review
ClarinetFest® 2025 Day 3 Round-Up
Featured Headlining Artist: The Han & Heung Odyssey – Cecilia Kang
by Kelsey Paquin
Featured Headlining Artist: Big Fat Meanies
by Natalie Groom
Featured Headlining Artists: Evening Orchestra Concert
by Kelsey Paquin
Featured Headlining Artist: The Han & Heung Odyssey – Cecilia Kang
By Kelsey Paquin
Dr. Cecilia Kang, Associate Professor of Music (Clarinet) at Indiana University, presented a headliner recital based on her commissioning and recording project, The Han & Heung Odyssey: Global Sounds of Resilience and Joy, which will be released through Albany Records on September 5, 2025. More information about the upcoming album can be found here: https://www.albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy2005/.
This project explores the Korean ideas of han, deep sorrow, and heung, exuberant joy. For this recital, Kang performed three pieces from the album: Arirang Madrigal for solo clarinet, voice, and electronics by Haeyun Kim, Andromeda for amplified Bb clarinet & looper/harmonizer by Mark Mellits, and Echoes of Hahoe: A Masked Reverie for clarinet, piano, and electronics by SiHyun Uhm.
Arirang Madrigal, Kang explained, is based on Arirang, which has come to be known as Korea’s most recognizable folk tune. Kang worked collaboratively with a Korean duo, sending improvised snippets back and forth, to establish ideas for the work.
Andromeda showcased the quintessential style of Mark Mellits, characterized by rhythmic grooves established by repetitive motives, which were built upon with the help of the looper. Once Kang established the pulsating rhythmic backdrop, she then played more folk-like melodies overtop. The result was a rhythmically active meditation which was both engaging and lulling. Kang’s precision of articulation and rhythm in combination with her expert use of the looper created a very enjoyable listening experience.
For the final piece on the program, Echoes of Hahoe, Kang was accompanied on piano by the composer, Sihyun Uhm. Kang explained that the two had only met in person a few days prior in order to put together this piece. The work is based on the Korean traditional performance of masked characters who challenge societal norms. The composer created the idea of community for joy and reflection through the dialogue between the clarinet, piano, and electronics, which featured sounds of traditional Korean percussion instruments.
Kang’s performance was quite unique: Her playing was sensitive, enhanced by her sweet and smooth tone and her attention to detail. The thoughtful care put into her craft created a sonic landscape unique to each work, truly creating a diverse and engaging listening experience. Her clarinet playing was only enhanced by her insightful presentation about the background and meaning of each work.
Kang provided the following excerpt from the upcoming album liner notes, written by Dr. Ju-Yong Ha, ethnomusicologist and composer from The University of Hartford:
The Han(한/恨) and Heung(흥/興) Odyssey: Global Sounds of Resilience and Joy is a unique album inspired by two deeply rooted and uniquely Korean cultural concepts: han(한/恨) and heung(흥/興)—emotional counterparts that, though seemingly oppositional, are profoundly intertwined in the Korean psyche.Together, they form a dynamic emotional spectrum that has long shaped Korea’s spiritual traditions, aesthetic sensibilities, and musical expression.
Bringing together nine living composers from diverse cultural and musical backgrounds, The Han & Heung Odyssey: Global Sounds of Resilience and Joy album offers a kaleidoscopic interpretation of two foundational Korean emotional concepts of han and heung. Using the clarinet as the vehicle, Cecilia Kang becomes both the driver and a witness, guiding listeners across stories of exile, immigration, personal loss, cultural satire, culinary metaphor, ancestral memory, and post-pandemic reflection. From the haunting echoes of boat songs to the bold heat of the Korean gochujang sauce, and from the historical trauma of diasporas to the intimate ballads of transformation, each piece captures and reinterprets the emotional depth of han and heung through distinct cultural perspectives. These compositions do not merely reference han and heung—they inhabit them, shape them, and in turn are shaped by them. In this sonic ritual, Kang and her collaborators transform oppositional forces into a shared emotional language—one that transcends borders, resonates across time, and invites us to journey inward toward the unresolved, the joyful, and the profoundly human.
Featured Headlining Artist: Big Fat Meanies
By Natalie Groom
ClarinetFest® showcases some of the world’s best performers, and this year the headlining artists were selected based on the strength of their proposals. One of the headliners on Friday, July 12, 2025 was Big Fat Meanies.
Band Members
Richard Ferrarelli, bass clarinet
Brenna Diehl, vocals
Sam Kelly, guitar
Zander Gawn, guitar/vocals
Eric Mannering, bass
Tristan Miller, drums
Jason Lankford, trombone
Nicole Migliore, trumpet
High energy, great fun, and glamorously ferocious progressive rock—Big Fat Meanies came grooving out of the gate with sweet guitar riffs and drum fills in their opening tune, Line of Fire. Founded by bass clarinetist Richard (Rick) Ferrarelli and guitarist Sam Kelly in 2013, the band played seven original songs at 2025 ClarinetFest®.
In a multi-day conference with extraordinarily long hours, one might think attendees would be low-energy and low-engagement, but that wasn’t apparent at all with Big Fat Meanies on stage. Within one tune they had the clarinetist crowd up and moving, huddling to the front of the room to be close to the band. In the course of the evening, the band and audience danced, sang, snapped, and clapped together.
As early as the second song, the band invited the audience to participate in a clapping groove to set things up with lead vocalist Brenna Diehl. Ferrarelli took a solo, complete with guitar distortion effects. Throughout the set, Ferrarelli showcased his technical prowess and agility across all ranges of the bass clarinet, as well as his improvisation chops.
Big Fat Meanies’s sound is characterized by powerful vocal lines, shredding guitar solos, and snazzy horn parts. The energy and excitement is palpable in their music-making. A signature part of the band’s style is a climactic build with an epic grand pause before crashing back in to the end of the song. The winds are key drivers of both the melody and beat; there were cinematic melodic lines in multiple octaves in the horns that felt like a force of nature.
While the majority of the set list generated rock and roll vibes, the fourth piece, Nuclear Tuxedo, stood out as having punk and ska influences, with the repeated refrain, “I keep falling.” Diehl showed off their high range here as well.
Drawing in more and more clarinetist attendees as the night went, the band ended with a raucously fun and funky bop, Meet Me at the Downbeat, that had the crowd jumping around, including the band, who circled the room and weaved through the crowd, instruments in tow.
Though the name of the band might suggest otherwise, Big Fat Meanies is all good vibes, good fun, and a good hang and listen. Explore their music at www.bigfatmeanies.com and on streaming platforms, CD, and vinyl.
About the Band
Voted “Best Rock Band” in Central Pennsylvania, Big Fat Meanies offers a high-octane dose of horn-driven progressive rock with each impressive performance. The independent eight-piece ensemble hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania wields an on-stage energy that can only be matched by their catalog of exhilarating songwriting. Drawing inspiration from genres of all nature – including pop, punk, funk, metal, ska, and even musical theatre – Big Fat Meanies’ signature episodic songwriting archetype blends the varied musical backgrounds of each member in perfect harmony.
The band is comprised of community-driven musicians. The band prides itself on its close ties with the Pennsylvania-based organization Music For Everyone (MFE), a non-profit committed to bridging the funding gap in music education in the Central Pennsylvania region. Their non-profit work has led them to work on behalf of a range of causes such as The Ocean Cleanup and Habitat for Humanity.
About Clarinetist Rick Ferrarelli
Clarinetist Richard Ferrarelli is a Royal Global artist based in Philadelphia. He holds a clarinet performance degree from Millersville University, where he studied under Dr. Christy Banks. During his time there he began exploring newer clarinet repertoire as a way to push his own musical boundaries and learn more about the many ways he could produce sounds on his instrument. He often says that he “likes to play the clarinet as not-a-clarinet” and he is constantly looking for ways to incorporate new sounds and techniques into the songs written by Big Fat Meanies, whether those sounds are produced acoustically or with the help of electronics.
Aside from the band, Richard works as a freelance player and teacher. He has a private studio and also works with a local non-profit, Music For Everyone, as a woodwind mentor. Through MFE, Richard is able to partner with music teachers in the area and teach clarinet, flute, and saxophone lessons to students throughout the School District of Lancaster. Richard has performed with ensembles of various shapes and sizes, from a full orchestra with the Pennsylvania Philharmonic to a more intimate setting with Opera Lancaster. As a session musician, Richard has had the opportunity to work with a myriad of bands, including grammy nominated artists, August Burns Red.
Big Fat Meanies performing.
Featured Headlining Artists: Evening Orchestra Concert
by Kelsey Paquin
The Friday Evening Orchestra Concert featured an eclectic and diverse program performed by a star-studded selection of clarinetists: Turkish phenom Ecesu Sertesen, legendary clarinet couple Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima, New York and Tokyo-based clarinetist and hichiriki player Thomas Piercy, groove master and composer Jonathan Russell, and charismatic Portuguese-Canadian clarinetist Wesley Ferreira. The soloists were accompanied by the ClarinetFest® 2025 Orchestra conducted by David Itkin.
Ecesu Sertesen opened the concert by performing Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, Op. 12 by Istemihan Taviloglu. This work is one of the composer’s most well-known and is, in fact, the first clarinet concerto written by a Turkish composer. The piece was cinematic and expressive, featuring interesting harmonic turns and melodies with Eastern European flair. It was well-suited for Sertesen, whose sublime sound and flexibility of tone color paired with attention to style and technical prowess made the work come alive.
Next on the program was Echoes and Reflections by Michael Webster, performed by Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima. Audience members may have been perplexed after reading the program and seeing only Neidich step in front of the orchestra. Soon it became clear that the sound of the clarinet reverberated far after Neidich took the instrument away from his mouth. It was revealed that Oshima played an off-stage part that echoed Neidich’s, fitting the title perfectly. Oshima alternated between playing off-stage and next to Neidich. The relationship between the two clarinet parts provided a commentary on the work’s title, with Webster’s writing alternating between direct imitation at various levels of delay to a more conversational style. With the sparse orchestration of string orchestra and percussion and a meditative nature, this work highlighted both player’s sensitivity to each other’s playing, matching stylistic nuance, at times blending as one, and at others being indistinguishable from each other.
Thomas Piercy performed Bin Lin’s Netori, Netori, a concerto for clarinet, gagaku ensemble, and string orchestra. The gagaku ensemble, an ensemble of instruments that performs traditional Japanese court music, featured Lish Lindsey on ryuteki, Todd Groves on hichiriki and the composer Bin Li on sho. The opening was quite striking, as Piercy’s hichiriki playing filled the room with an unfamiliar timbre. After the opening, however, Piercy performed solely on the clarinet. The composition featured timbre trills, multiphonics, air sounds, which, when combined with the distinct sounds of the instruments of the gagaku ensemble, created an other-worldly soundscape. Although the work’s orchestration was sparse and pointillistic in texture, with few distinct cohesive melodies, the audience was drawn in by the slowly unfolding exploration of sonic possibilities through the unique collaboration between solo contemporary clarinet, traditional gagaku ensemble, and string orchestra with percussion.
Jonathan Russell performed his own work Still Here. Originally composed in 2022 for clarinet and piano, this four-movement work emerged from Russell’s reflections on the war in Ukraine. This excerpt from his original program notes for the piece offers insight into its inspiration:
It’s the evening of February 25th, 2022. In the darkness, a grainy 30-second selfie video of five men on the streets of Kiev: “Good evening to all” says the gravelly voice of the man in front, holding the phone. “The leader of the bloc is here. The head of the President’s office is here. Prime Minister Schmyhal is here. Podoliak is here. The President is here. We are all here. The soldiers are here, the citizens are here, and we are here…We defend our independence. Glory to our defenders, glory to Ukraine.” No press conference. No soaring rhetoric. No lectern or flag or presidential seal. Just a 30-second video calmly stating the only fact that mattered in that moment: We Are Here. Still Here.
The work is powerful and moving. From the profundity of the first movement’s gradually rising folklike melody, to the second movement’s scurry of notes, the third movement’s beautiful, simple refuge, and finally the fourth movement’s Klezmer-inspired dance, Russell’s composition was entertaining, engaging, and thought-provoking. This deeply personal essay on the Ukrainian conflict was even more special because it was performed by the composer himself. Russell’s performance was daring and deeply expressive.
The concert’s finale was Daniel Feiberg’s Latin American Chronicles performed by Wesley Ferreira. This fun, energetic work was brought to life by Ferreira’s invigorating performance style. Ferreira clearly feels at home in this Latin-jazz genre, as he navigated extended technical passages with ease and brought incredible nuance to the style. His technical mastery and flexibility were impressive, elevating this unique work to deserve its spot as the finale of the concert. The crowd roared at the end—a well-deserved celebration of a wonderful performance.
Comments are closed.