At a time when Music at Delaware is growing like never before, graduate
clarinet student Anthony McDonnell scored a prestigious first for the department
when he was invited to perform in a master class with renowned jazz clarinetist
Ken Peoplowski at the International Clarinet Association’s 2019 ClarinetFest
this July.
“This is the first time we’ve had a student perform as a soloist at
ClarinetFest, and it is great for the Clarinet Studio to have one of our own play
here,” says Assistant Professor Christopher Nichols. ClarinetFest draws the most
celebrated clarinet artists in the world, and it is an opportunity to hear the clarinet
played as a solo instrument, as well as a featured instrument in orchestral
pieces, with string quartets, as part of jazz ensembles, and in band literature.
It is also a great place to network and set up the connections that are such a
vital part of a professional musician’s career: “I met so many people!”
McDonnell says. “So many people I’ve heard of and wanted to meet. Everyone knows
Dr. Nichols, and he introduced me to everyone. This opens up opportunities for
me to work with other artists down the road.”
McDonnell stays busy at UD. He is in his second year of the master of
music in clarinet performance while simultaneously starting his first year of
graduate conducting studies with Lauren Reynolds, assistant professor and
director of the UD Wind Ensemble. During football season, McDonnell is a teaching
assistant with the Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band, working with brass section leaders,
as he had a double concentration in trumpet and clarinet in his undergrad.
He took this energy and enthusiasm to Tennessee this summer for the five-day
festival. In addition to the master class, McDonnell performed as an alumni
guest artist for the Crimson Squawks clarinet ensemble from the Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his undergraduate degree, allowing
him to reconnect with former classmates, as well as his former studio instructor,
Rosemary Engelstad.
The master class itself was more than McDonnell expected. He learned just
the day before that he would perform in a 1,000-seat space at the University of
Tennessee. “I had to expand my horizons dynamically,” he says. “But now, if I
ever audition for a large orchestra, I’ve had the experience of playing in such
a large hall.”
McDonnell, classically trained, had prepared to learn from a master jazz
musician. “We talked a lot about phrasing and vibrato. But really, the most
important thing Ken mentioned was having a consistent sound and tone. No matter
what path you take in music, the number one thing is your sound.” McDonnell
adds that another lesson came backstage when Peoplowski talked about the amount
of traveling he’s done in his career. “He said that he’s gotten very good at
practicing soft because of all the times he’s had to practice in a hotel room
and not disturb other people. You can still work with phrasing and even
dynamics while playing softly. I’ve been trying it, and it opens my palette in
a different way.”
