Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr (born April 14, 1936) is an American clarinetist and music educator whose contributions to the

Verdehr Trio The Verdehr Trio was a chamber ensemble that worked to promote the clarinet-violin-piano trio repertoire through international commission (art), commissions, Sound recording and reproduction, recordings, and performances. The trio featured Walter V ...

have resulted in an extensive modern body of work for the clarinet-violin-piano trio medium.

Biography

Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr received Bachelor of Music degrees in both clarinet performance and music education from the

Oberlin Conservatory of Music The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...

, where she studied with George Waln. She went on to study with the legendary

Stanley Hasty Donald Stanley Hasty(February 21, 1920 - June 22, 2011) was professor emeritus of clarinet at the Eastman School of Music. Hasty joined the Eastman faculty and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 1955. Before coming to Rochester, he served as ...

at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

, where she earned both a Performer's Certificate (1958) and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree (1964). While studying at Eastman, Ludewig-Verdehr was an instructor of clarinet from 1959–1962 at

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

Ludewig-Verdehr accepted an Assistant Professor position at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

in 1962, and has been a Full Professor there since 1977. She received the Distinguished Professor Award from MSU in 1979. In addition to teaching, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr has had a prolific career as a soloist and as a member of the pioneering

. She co-founded the trio in 1972 with other Michigan State faculty members, including her husband and violinist Walter Verdehr, and pianist David Renner. Pianist

Gary Kirkpatrick Gary Kirkpatrick (August 19, 1941 - February 22, 2021) was an American concert pianist from Junction City, Kansas. Kirkpatrick received his Bachelor of Music at Eastman School of Music and his artist's diploma from the University of Music and ...

would later become the trio's first regular pianist in 1980. Silvia Roederer, Professor of Piano at Western Michigan State University has been the pianist for the trio since Kirkpatrick. Boasting a list of over 200 new commissioned works from over fifty composers the trio has expanded the breadth of the clarinet trio repertoire to include contemporary works by some of today's most important living composers, such as

Karel Husa Karel Husa (August 7, 1921 – December 14, 2016) was a Czech-born classical composer and conductor, winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Music and 1993 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. In 1954, he emigrated to t ...

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...

, and

Dan Welcher Dan Welcher (born March 2, 1948)Joshua Kosman, "Welcher, Dan (Edward)", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001)Nicolas Slonimsky, Laura Kuh ...

. As the result of studying with clarinetist Harold Wright while attending the

Marlboro Music Festival The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont, in the United States. Public performances are held each weekend while the school is in sess ...

, Ludewig-Verdehr employs a double-lip embouchure, wherein the upper lip wraps around the top teeth, which are normally in direct contact with the mouthpiece of the clarinet. The effect is to open the mouth and alter the placement of the tongue for a rounder, fuller sound. Other famous clarinetists who have performed using double-lip embouchure include

Reginald Kell Reginald Clifford Kell (8 June 19065 August 1981) was an English clarinettist. He was noted especially for his career as a soloist and chamber music player. He was the principal clarinettist in leading British orchestras, including the London P ...

, Kalmen Opperman,

David Weber David Mark Weber (born October 24, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, the best known of which is the Honorverse, Honor Harrington science-fiction series. His ...

and

Richard Stoltzman Richard Leslie Stoltzman (born July 12, 1942) is an American clarinetist. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California, and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part ...

References

External links

Verdehr Trio Official Website
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Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr's profile at the MSU website
1936 births Living people American clarinetists Women clarinetists 21st-century clarinetists 21st-century American women musicians {{Improve categories, date=April 2021