Award-winning clarinetist Jeanmarie Riccobono takes centre stage in Aaron Copland’s jazzy Clarinet Concerto.Jeanmarie is the principal clarinetist in the Traverse Symphony Orchestra and teaches clarinet at Northwestern Michigan College and the Bay View Music Festival.
The renowned jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman asked Copland to compose a work for him. The result was a two-movement concerto: the first section is one of Copland’s most lyrical and melodious creations; the second is in an all-out jazzy style. The movements are connected by a cadenza for the soloist.
The concert will also include Copeland’s Hoedown from Rodeo, Debussy’s Dances Sacred & Profane, and Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte. Originally composed in 1942 for a ballet called Rodeo, Hoedown features two American square dance tunes and evokes the energy and adventure of the American pioneering spirit.
Cellist Lena Sytsma-Reed, winner of the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra’s 17th Annual Young Artist Competition, will be performing Haydn’s Cello Concert No 1.
