1973 - The International Clarinet Society (ICS) is formed

At the 1973 National Clarinet Clinic Ramon gathered clinic participants to form what was to be known as the International Clarinet Society (I.C.S.), with a mission statement, officers, committees, and an official quarterly journal, The Clarinet. Bylaws were written and adopted and the Articles of Incorporation were officially filed on August 15, 1975. The Society’s mission statement has evolved into the following:

“The International Clarinet Association is a community of clarinetists and clarinet enthusiasts that supports projects that will benefit clarinet performance; provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas, materials, and information among its members; fosters the composition, publication, recording, and distribution of music for the clarinet; encourages the research and manufacture of a more definitive clarinet; avoids commercialism in any form while encouraging communication and cooperation among clarinetists and the music industry; and encourages and promotes the performance and teaching of a wide variety of repertoire for the clarinet.

To these ends, the association is dedicated to fostering communication and fellowship of clarinetists on a worldwide basis through publishing a quarterly scholarly journal, The Clarinet, producing an annual clarinet festival, ClarinetFest®, supporting a research library with materials available to all members, and promoting a variety of other endeavors related to the clarinet and clarinet playing.”

FIRST OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY

Ramon Kireilis was the first President of the new society. Quoting from The Clarinet, Vol. 1, No. 1, “It should be noted that although Kireilis, director of the Clinic, was elected president of the Society, the latter is a completely autonomous and independent group. The presence of Kireilis in the Society will be of great value to the Society, and it is to be hoped that the Society will in its turn be advantageous to the Clinic.” From 1974 on, the Society was invited to hold its annual business meeting during the Clinic. In other words, Kireilis organized the Clinic each summer at the University of Denver and the Society held its annual business meeting at the Clinic. The late Lee Gibson (1915-2013), Kireilis’ mentor from North Texas State University, volunteered to be the editor of the Society’s publication, The Clarinet. Lee became President in 1978 when Kireilis wanted to devote his full energies as director of what had now become, the International Clarinet Clinic.

Other officers included Leon Russianoff of the Juilliard School in New York as Vice President, Robert Schott of Kansas State College of Pittsburg, Kansas as Secretary/Treasurer and Research Chair. H. James Schoepflin of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho was Publisher. Regional Chairmen for the United States and National Chairmen for eastern and western Canada, Australia, Austria, England, and Mexico were named. A Vacancy Service was established for aspiring university teachers and symphony positions under the directorship of Harold Ashenfelter of Antioch College. In 1974 and continuing until 1977, Jack Snavely of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee coordinated the Vacancy Service.