The International Clarinet Association is the main international organization bringing together players of the
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
. It is based in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, United States. The ICA publishes ''The Clarinet'', a quarterly journal, produces an annual festival known as ClarinetFest, supports a research library and score collection, and in other ways advances the international study of the clarinet.
History
The International Clarinet Society began in 1964, as the University of Denver called for and funded national conferences to mark its centennial year. Clarinet professor Ralph Strouf organized logistics while his teacher and mentor, Keith Stein, provided artistic direction for the first National Clarinet Clinic, a five-day conference. Strouf organized subsequent annual Clinics until he left the University of Denver in 1967. Clarinetist Ramon Kireilis took over the professorship and the National Clarinet Clinic.
In 1973, Kireilis organized the International Clarinet Society with National Clarinet Clinic participants, becoming the Society's first president. The organization drafted a mission statement, formed officers and committees, and began the publication of the quarterly journal, The Clarinet.
In 1988, the International Clarinet Society merged with ClariNetwork International. The former organization focused primarily on academic clarinetists, while the latter focused on professional performers. In 1991 the organization was renamed to the International Clarinet Association.
[Stanek, Alan. "The History of the International Clarinet Association: The Evolution of a Good Idea,]
International Clarinet Association Website
2007.
Organizational Products
The National Clarinet Clinic became the International Clarinet Clinic, which was renamed the International Clarinet Congress and then the International Clarinet Conference, and then later transformed further to ClarFest and then ClarinetFest.
The ICA hosts several competitions: composition, high school, orchestral audition, research, and young artist.
2011 Composition Winners
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After the death of the Society's third president, Jerry Pierce, in 1994, the International Clarinet Association purchased his extensive clarinet score library, which is now a large portion of the ICA Research Center at the University of Maryland. Over 6000 scores are available for circulation to ICA members and members of the University of Maryland community. The ICA Research Library also contains the Jerry Pierce Papers and the Daniel Bonade Papers.
References
External links
International Clarinet Association official siteICA Research Center and Score Collection
- Special Collections in Performing Arts at the University of Maryland
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Clarinet organizations
International cultural organizations
Non-profit organizations based in Ohio