Tuesday, September 24, 2024

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Gail Zugger - The Clarinet's Development

In What to Listen For in Music, Aaron Copland states that an instrument finds its way into music by being invented, perfected and mastered. We’ll investigate the clarinet’s path from discovery in 1690 to today and how it works. What are the clarinet’s timbre qualities and how do composers utilize its unique voice in their works? Who are some influential composers that have written great music for the clarinetist? The exploration will include a performance of Thomas Zugger’s “Alaskan Images for Solo Clarinet” composed in 2006 following Gail and Thomas’s honeymoon trip to Alaska. It showcases 4 stops along our journey in Anchorage and Sewell. The performance will include pictures from our trip to reflect the music played.

About Gail Zugger

Gail Lehto Zugger is Professor of Clarinet at Capital University, Principal Clarinet of the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra, and Second Clarinet of the Ashland Symphony. She holds degrees from The Ohio State University and University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She also performs in the Inspirare Duo with flutist Dr. Lisa Jelle and the QuintEssential Winds Faculty Woodwind Quintet at Capital University. Dr. Zugger can be heard on Thomas Zugger’s Dances and Dreams: Recital Music for Trombone on the Mark Records label, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2010. She has played with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, and Lancaster (OH) Festival symphony orchestra and has given clinics at over a dozen MENC (now NAfME) conferences throughout the United States. In August 2012, she performed at ClarinetFest, the International Clarinet Association’s annual conference, in Lincoln, NE. She currently serves as the Ohio State Chair for the International Clarinet Association and contributes regularly to the ICA’s quarterly publication, The Clarinet. Originally from Racine, Wisconsin, the Racine Concert Band invited Gail to perform as soloist during their summer 2023 concert season to celebrate her career accomplishments. Zugger recently performed as guest artist for the 2023 Clarinet Spectacular to honor former teacher James Pyne at OSU and as guest soloist for the Jackson Middle School band concert at the OMEA Professional Development Conference in winter 2024.