Interlochen Fine Arts Camp

This is the Intermediate Wind Symphony warming up.

This summer I went to Interlochen Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. Interlochen is a summer fine arts camp for grades 3-12, which takes students from all over the United States and many countries around the world. You have to audition to get in to most of the middle and high school programs. I auditioned on clarinet, and I made 3rd chair, which meant I played in both the Intermediate Wind Symphony and the Intermediate Symphony Orchestra.

I had a great time. It was my first time away from home for three weeks. There were a lot of things I really liked about Interlochen: everyone was so involved in their art, everyone was really nice, the music fun, and I really enjoyed my classes. I wish I got to stay there longer.

I was surprised that everyone was nice and there were no bullies. That's surprising, because in most gatherings of middle school boys, like school, there always seem to be some kids who want to cause pain for other kids. At school, I can't just be myself, because some kids will be mean to me, because I'm different from what they think is normal. I love playing my clarinet more than anything, I love classical music instead of pop and rock music like most people my age, I love history, and I homeschool part time. At school, I feel like I can't be open about who I am. Interlochen was different. There is was okay to be myself, and people didn't make fun of me. I felt accepted for who I am. Sometimes people did things that bothered me, but no one was trying to be mean on purpose. I wish school could be more like that.

This is Kaelen, Nick and me with my baby brother Morgan.

Another thing that was cool about Interlochen was that everyone was very involved in their art which was amazing because I've never been surrounded by so many artists before. It was inspiring and motivating. It is nice to know that there are that many people in the country who love music, and drama, and visual arts. The music was interesting, and there was a lot of it. The toughest piece we played in orchestra was Katchaturian's Saber Ballet, but I had played it before, so it wasn't too much. The band music was easier, but there were five pieces to learn and perfect ever week, as well as orchestra pieces to prepare.

I loved my classes at Interlochen. I had five or six classes a day. The first class was Intermediate Wind Symphony, which was all the intermediate winds. My second class was either Clarinet Sectionals or Woodwind Sectionals depending on the day. My third class was practice hour. For practice hour, you have a practice hut, and a practice supervisor walks around to assist and encourage you to practice.

Once a week instead of practice hour I had a clarinet lesson with Sandra Jackson, who was my teacher at
Interlochen. She is very nice and she is an exceptional clarinetist. She's even performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

This is Nicholas, who came from London,  reading The Fountainhead.

My next class was Instrument Exploration where I learned about many instruments. It was fun to learn how to play new instruments, except the flute. For some reason playing the flute made me really dizzy and kind of nauseous. I must have doing it wrong. My fifth class was either Orchestra or Performance skills. Orchestra went on for two hours and was the best class of the day. We worked on the pieces we were going to play in the concert during Orchestra Class. Performance skills was basically a clarinet octet. We worked on chamber music most of the time and sometimes we talked about clarinet stuff. My sixth class was Orchestra sectionals. This was when the clarinets in orchestra worked on our orchestra parts. There were four of us, but only one girl. Her name is Julia and she was my stand partner. She comes from the Chicago area too, and she plays with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.

We had two free days every week. The first two days of camp were free days. I mostly was meeting new people those days, but I had my seating audition on the second day.  During the third free day, I was hurrying around to concerts all day, and at night I went to the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, which is the top

orchestra of the high school program. It was amazing. I gave them a standing ovation as did everyone else. The second day of that weekend I got two board games in the mail: Small World and Stone Age. My cabin mates and I played both games many times through the rest of the time at Interlochen. The last weekend before the final concert basically all we did was play Small World and talk and play our instruments. Thomas Wolfgang, an oboe player in my cabin, especially liked the game and wanted to play it over and over again. It was a great time and I had a great cabin.

This is me with my practice hour buddies.

Hanging out with my cabin was one of my favorite things. Every night we had a bunk talk. During the bunk talk, we talked about many things. Sometimes the counselors, John and Theo, told very very scary ghost stories that gave us all nightmares. Sometimes they asked us questions about what we liked and disliked about Interlochen, what we were looking forward to doing at Interlochen and during the rest of our lives. We joked that we would all meet up again at Carnegie Hall. The last thing we did during bunk talk was listen to soothing music. I loved bunk talk, it was the most relaxing part of the day.

One of the best things about Interlochen were the performances. They were amazing. A few of the performances really stood out, like the WYSO performances, Aida, and the Parker String Quartet. The Parker Quartet played very beautifully and I loved the way they moved together while they played.  They communicated very well when they played.  Aida was also an amazing performance. The actress who playing as Aida was terrific. Her voice was beautiful, and I really liked how she played the character. The stage set was also very cool. The story was really interesting, it was about a Nubian princess who is captured by an Egyptian Captain. I think my favorite performances were the  WYSO performances. They were just amazing. When they played I was so totally entranced that I didn't pay attention to anything but the music. All the performances were unbelievable and I wish I could see them all again at home.

Time for Interlochen Fine Arts Camp!

Interlochen!

Clarinet Camp at Midwest Young Artists

Last week, I attended a clarinet camp at Midwest Young Artists coached by Dileep Gangolli, my teacher. It was so much fun! Every day, we played our clarinets for five hours. Then, on Friday, we had a final concert.

On the first day, we started by introducing ourselves. There were seven other clarinetists at camp, and two of them were from other states. The oldest kid there was named Robert Orozco, and he came from California. He starts his senior year in high school next year. He was a great clarinetist and a very nice person. He always had something nice and encouraging to say about everyone. Scott Greene from MYA was also there. I think we get to be in the same orchestra next year. There was also another kid from Naperville, IL there. He was named Addison. He is going to be a sixth grader next year, and he was really good! There were other cool kids there too. We all got to know each other well by the end of the week.

On of the things that we talked about was reeds. I learned many things about breaking in reeds. You need to keep a cycle of 8 reeds going. the moment you take a reed out of the package, you want to dip it in water for a few seconds before using it. The first time you play a reed, you want to do it for a short time: like less than 5 minutes. If you feel it becoming soft and mushy, you should stop using it. Keep using it for longer periods in future days, and eventually it will get broken in.

The first actual playing we got to do was in an ensemble, in which all eight of us played together. We prepared three pieces: Joplin, Haydn, and Respighi. After that, we split off into groups of two to practice duets which Dileep had just assigned us. I got paired with a boy named Addison, who is ten years old. Addison was really fun to play with. He was really good, really nice, and he was really easy to work with. We also did master classes in which four of us got to play during the week. I did not get to play in any of the master classes. That didn't disappoint me, because playing in front of people makes me nervous, especially people who know me.

On Friday, we had a concert where we performed our duets, solos, and ensemble music. First, Dileep had a dres rehearsal with Scott (who as playing an Arabesque) with the pianist who was performing with us. Then a camera man came in and filmed our rehearsal. After that, Dileep got interviewed. I think it was for the Chicago Clarinet Ensemble. They were looking at his work as a teacher. Next, we had dress rehearsals with the pianist.

When the concert finally came, I was really nervous that I was going to mess up. We first did our duets. Addison and I did really well. Next were the solos. I did well mostly, except that I messed up in the technically difficult parts. The pianist was playing faster than I could play and I didn't know how to slow her down. Still, I feel like I played really expressively, and I finished with a feeling that I did really good.

It was a really fantastic week, and I hope I can come back next year.

Thanks, Dileep!

Quintet Attaca - Woodwind Chamber Camp

This week, I went to a woodwind chamber camp directed by Quintet Attacca. Quintet Attacca is a woodwind quintet who are the 2nd woodwind quintet to ever win the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. They are incredible musicians, great teachers, and really nice people. This is my second year going to their woodwind chamber camp. Both years, I had a great time.

This year was different than last year, because there were more kids there. I played in a quintet and a large chamber group. We performed a Beethoven woodwind quintet (Op. 71) and Gopak by Mussorgsky in my quintet, and we performed 2 movements of Gounod's Petite Symphony in the larger group.

I really enjoyed being a part of this. The coaching was really good, and the other kids were very nice. I hope I can go back next year, because it was such an amazing experience -- even moreso than last year.

Thanks, Quintet Attacca!

Knee Injury and Quintet Camp

Knee Injuries Make Time for Clarinet Practice

Last week, while I was playing soccer, I injured my knee. I dislocated my patella. It was the last game of the season, and my team had won ever game so far. I scored a goal and had an assist in the first half, and I was really excited about playing soccer because I had been watching World Cup.

But then it happened.

I was tackling another player, and stepped wrong and slid. My knee hurt, but I was wondering why. I just fell over! But then I looked at my knee and I panicked, because it was in totally the wrong spot! My kneecap was on the side of my leg! It looked horrible. I tried to unbend my knee, but the pain was unbearable.

They called an ambulance, and I got stretchered off the field and rushed to the hospital. I was in so much pain, they gave me morphine. I thought they would have to do surgery or something to get my knee back into place, but all they had to do was manipulate my knee, and pop! It went back into place. It still hurt a lot, but it nearly as painful once they relocated it.

Now I'm on crutches, and I won't be doing sports for 3-4 months. Oh well, at least I get to play my clarinet a lot more.


Quintet Attaca Camp

This week, I am going to Quintet Attacca Camp in Winnetka at the Music Institute of Chicago. It's a woodwind quintet camp, which means that there are oboes, clarinets, bassoons, french horns, and flutes.

I'm in a quintet with my friend Nathan, and Tom and Tom, a bassoonist and an oboeist around the same age. Our flute part is being played by Jennifer Clippert who is a member of Quintet Attaca. I'm also in a larger ensemble where we're playing Petite Symphonie by Gounod with several members of the Quintet Attacca.

I went last year and had a great time. So far this year it's a lot of fun, but the music seems a lot easier than it did last year. I think that's because I got a lot better this year, and the music isn't much harder than last year. Still it's fun.

Interview with Anthony McGill!

On Friday I had the opportunity to interview my favorite clarinetist, Anthony McGill, after the dress rehearsal for his concert with the Chicago Clarinet Ensemble. I went to the dress rehearsal because my teacher, Dileep Gangoli is in the Chicago Clarinet Ensemble. I had a lesson just before the dress rehearsal, and then Dileep took me to the rehearsal. After the dress rehearsal my teacher recorded me interviewing Mr. McGill. It was really fun, but I was terrified. I didn't know how hard it was going to be to interview someone famous.

Because my piano teacher Barbara Rubenstein suggested it, I wrote the questions out ahead of time and practiced them with a glass head with a beret. Mr. McGill was really cool and really nice. And he was very patient with me stumbling over my questions.

Interview with Anthony McGill

Video Transcription

Torin: Hello, I’m Torin. What’s your name?

Anthony McGill: I’m Anthony McGill.

I have some questions for you, Anthony McGill.

Cool.

Okay, my first question is: I would like to know how you interpret a piece. I have the Weber Concerto on a recording by Martin Frost, Richard Stoltzman, and Sabine Meyer. I like the Martin Frost version the best, because it is less aggressive than the Stoltzman and it has a fuller tone than the Sabine Meyer Do you listen to other recordings before you try to interpret a piece?

Yeah, well, I actually when especially when I was younger used to listen to lots of different recordings, and it gave me an idea of what I would like to sound like and all of the different varieties of playing and phrasing and color that you can get in the clarinet, and so I think it’s actually very important to listen to other players so you can get a concept. Nowadays, I don’t listen to that that many clarinet players, but I admire lots of those people you just named. So, next question?

Is Itzak Perlman as nice as Yoyo Ma? Because my sister performed for Yoyo Ma. (And I should have said, my sister said he was very nice, but I was nervous and forgot).

Yeah, Itzak Perlman is really nice and Yoyo Ma is really nice as well, and they’re both really funny. They’re probably the funniest people I’ve ever met. And they’re also really great musicians, obviously.

Why did you choose clarinet as your instrument? Did you consider anything else? Did anyone influence your choice of the clarinet?

Well, my older brother played the flute, and so I wanted to play a wind instrument, but I wanted to play saxophone, but it was too big for me, so they told me to play the clarinet and switch to the saxophone later, but I never did.

I had the same thing with bassoon. I wanted to play bassoon, but I switched to the clarinet while I was waiting. (What I meant to say was that I was too small to play bassoon, so they told me to start on clarinet, and I’m never switching now because I love clarinet. But I forgot. Interviews are hard.)

Oh really?

What’s your least favorite part about being a clarinetist?

Oooh. Least favorite part about being a clarinetist…it’s hard sometimes , but then again, I guess every instrument is hard. You know, we have to try to find good reeds, and good instruments, and mouthpieces, and all of that stuff, but I really enjoy making music on the clarinet, that’s the really really fun part.

Oh, okay. Are you going to audition for the CSO, because I would like to see you perform some more often?

Oh, great. I have auditioned for the CSO, and I haven’t quite made it, gotten into the orchestra yet, but I, you know, I might keep trying.

That’s all the questions I have for you. Thank you.

Thanks a lot.

___________________________________________________





This is Sven. He is very helpful when preparing an interview.

Anthony McGill and the Chicago Clarinet Ensemble

On Friday, I went to a concert featuring Anthony McGill and the Chicago Clarinet Ensemble. For those of you who don’t know, Anthony McGill is the principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City. He’s won all sorts of awards, and he is a well known virtuoso in the world of classical musicians. He’s most famous for playing at Obama’s inauguration with Yoyo Ma and Itzak Perlman. He is also my favorite clarinetist. This was a great concert, and I really enjoyed myself.

When he played the Concertino by Carl Maria von Weber, Anthony McGill really showed us what virtuoso he is with an amazing performance. I loved his phrasing and emotional expression. His slow parts had a very sweet and dark tone and his fast parts were very in control. He shaped his phrases so beautifully. His movement matched his musical expression, and he was very fun to watch. After the piece was over, I wanted him to play it again – maybe ten or twenty times.

The Latin American piece Four for Four by Jorge Montilla, started the concert. The bass clarinet solo really stood out. Mr. Tuttle had enormous control, especially the high register. He had a very full and big sound, but sweet. The first movement sounded like the bass clarinet was making a very important speech and the Bb and Eb clarinets were whispering, chattering, and laughing behind his back while he made his very important speech. All four musicians worked together very well.

The second piece they played was called Paquito by Andy Scott. I love this piece! I like how the high and low parts play off of each other, like they’re bouncing. It was like many things happening at the same time in a crowded room. The piece is very busy, but in a good way. The parts split off and go in different directions and come back together again. This was my favorite piece (outside of the McGill performance).

Throughout the entire concert, Rose Sperrazza was very funny between performances. I liked the way she talked to the audience like they were a group of her very good friends. She showed great leadership for the other musicians.

The last performance before the intermission was the world premier of Tres Canciones by Leo Schwartz who was there conducting. The first pieces of the concert were very physical and grounded in reality. This piece was very eerie and otherworldly. It was like you were floating around in a dreamworld. The third movement was like you woke up and you saw things how they really were again and that the world wasn’t just a dream. I thought the counter-tenor was odd. I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard a counter-tenor before, but Lon Ellenberger's performance was very good and it helped create the floating feel of the piece.

The Merit School clarinetists played Simple Gifts arranged by Ricky Lombardo. This arrangement of this famous American folk song played by students of Merit School made me think of the Aaron Copland Appalachian Springs movement that features this theme in many variations, and the John Williams piece from the inauguration. It was a great choice because it is a great tribute to Anthony McGill who was a student of Merit when he was young.

The concert ended with First Suite in Eb by Gustav Holst. It was nice to hear a Holst piece that WASN’T the Planets. I really liked how the clarinets could cover all of the parts of an orchestral piece that was written for many different instruments. It was neat how the clarinets sounded like clarinets, but at the same time, they gave the impression of strings and brass, and filled up the auditorium with their sound. Wow!

I wish I could travel in time so I could watch the concert again.