Bruce Curlette

Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Bruce Curlette - 2012

Dr. Curlette is an active performer who has been featured on national venues such as the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium and the national conference for the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors. Dr. Curlette has also taught the clarinet studio at The Ohio State University while its current professor, James Pyne, was on sabbatical. Prior to his tenure at Cedarville, Dr. Curlette was a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra. He received his M.M. degree in clarinet performance from Eastman School of Music in 1981 and his D.M.A. degree in clarinet performance from The Ohio State University in 1991. Dr. Curlette has studied with James M. Pyne, D. Stanley Hasty, Gervase de Peyer, and Carl H.C. Anderson and has been on the Cedarville music faculty since 2001.

Concert Dates

  • September 9, 2012 - New York City

15 one-minute selections for Bruce Curlette

  • A Little Serenade, Interrupted

    David Bohn

    David Bohn received degrees in composition from the University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the University of Illinois. He currently resides in West Allis, Wisconsin, and is the music director at St. John's Lutheran Church in West Milwaukee. He is the President of the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers.

    The question, of course, is which is the Serenade and which is the Interruption.

  • Wedding Dance

    Erik Branch

    ERIK BRANCH (b. 1966) is a native of New York City, and received a BA and MA in Music (Composition) from Hunter College. He lives near Orlando, Florida, where he is active as a pianist, musical director, composer/arranger, opera chorister, and actor on stage and screen.

    Unlike most other works I’ve written for clarinet, which have showcased its liquidity of tone and sensitivity, the Wedding Dance (2012) exploits its wild, uninhibited, even shrill side. In its short burst of incessant frenzy, it suggests archetypal elements of Klezmer, Gypsy, and Turkish traditional dance music.

  • Homage a Papasov

    David Drexler

    David Drexler's music has been performed on three continents by groups such as the New York Miniaturist Ensemble, the Chicago Miniaturist Ensemble, a very small consortium, and ThingNY.

    In *Homage a Papasov,* the clarinetist not only has to play several phrases in imitation of the great Bulgarian wedding music master, he must also provide his own rhythmic accompaniment, skipping across the range of the clarinet.

  • 5+7

    Austin Jaquith

    Austin Jaquith is a composer and music professor residing in Cedarville, OH. Recent performances of his work include Kinesis by the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestra, Quintet for Brass by the Mirari Brass Quintet, and Blaze of Autumn by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Matthew Kraemer conducting.

    5+7 takes its inspiration from the following Ghanian rhythm: Its syncopation combined with an uneven division of twelve gives it a uniquely energetic character, which probably explains its widespread appropriation by both classical and popular artists. In this composition, each layer is presented seperately to create two contrasting melodic ideas which are the foundation of the work.

  • One for three

    Vladimir Karpenko

    Vladimir Karpenko (1958) was born in Ridder (East Kazakhstan), studied in Almaty conservatory. Now he lives in Irkutsk, Russia. Нe is the composer, the musicologist, the pianist, the teacher. The author of compositions for a symphonic orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles, a piano, a organ, vocal music.

    “One for three” - it’s a cheerful Fughetta for three registers of a clarinet.

  • Two-Headed Oro

    Nebojsa S. Macura

    Born in 1982 in Belgrade, Serbia, Nebojsa S. Macura has resided in North America since 1990. He holds degrees in composition from the University of Cincinnati (DMA), University of British Columbia (MM), and University of Wisconsin-Madison (BM). His music has been performed in ten US states and three Canadian provinces.

    Originating in southeastern Europe, the oro (in some languages, horo) is a folk dance, usually performed in a circle or line. Individual dances are often named after a specific person, geographic location, or pattern of dance steps. The title of my oro refers to its two contrasting musical themes.

  • QUIETLY, AT DUSK

    Peri Mauer

    Recent premieres: In the Moment for cello and voice, Pixeliance for flute, harp, and marimba, Dutchess Starlight Revisited for guitar, cello, and trombone, Rhapsodance, for clarinet and piano, Blogarhythm for chamber orchestra, etc. Upcoming premieres include her orchestral work Illuminations of the Night and Nudibranch Friday for violin and cello.

    QUIETLY, AT DUSK, is a work inspired by the quiet, contemplative time of day, when reflection of thought seems to mirror the darkening of skies and cooling of breezes. One goes temporarily within to ponder what hopes will bring along the journey. It was composed specifically for this performance.

  • tangled

    David Morneau

    David Morneau is a composer of an entirely undecided genre, a provider of exclusive unprecedented experiments. In his work he endeavors to explore ideas about our culture, issues concerning creativity, and even the very nature of music itself. Learn more at http://5of4.com

  • Impromptu

    Manuel Torres Arias

    Manuel Torres studied in the C.I.E.M, in Mexico City and holds a master degree from the Conservatory of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His music aims to give the audience a meaningful experience at the concert hall and to serve as a mean to reflect on the nature of the human spirit.

    Impromptu is a very free re-interpretation of traditional mexican music for winds in a contemporary music context and with a strong influence of eastern european rhythms. The miniature evokes the drive, energy and lyricism of this kind of music and asks for the determination and fantasy of the performer.

  • Retrotoots

    Kit Mills

    Kit Mills is currently alive.

    If you like this piece, please chuckle in mild amusement rather than clapping. Thank you.

  • The Fourth World

    Sean O'Boyle

    Australian composer, Sean O’Boyle's compositions have been performed and or recorded by all the major Australian orchestras; European Orchestras include - Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique Divertimento, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and North American Orchestras include the Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Concord Chamber Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops.

    Composed on May the 4th, this is a musical study in the beauty of 4ths and spans much of the clarinets range and dynamic capability. The composer started his musical career on clarinet.

  • 0:51, Op.51

    Javier Pérez Garrido

    Javier Pérez Garrido holds an Advanced Degree in Clarinet Performance (2008) and Composition (2010) from the Conservatory of Murcia, Spain. He has been given performance and composition awards in several national and international music competitions. Javier has played as soloist with many of the most important youth wind and symphonic orchestras around Europe. Since 1998, he has composed nearly 80 works including solo, chamber, ensemble, choir, wind orchestra and orchestra pieces. His compositions have been performed in various European and American countries. www.perezgarrido.com

    0:51, Op.51 is a piece composed for solo clarinet. It is divided into 51 bars and lasts only 51 seconds. This composition is clearly eclectic and its music style is very influenced by jazz patterns. The octagonal and virtuoso scales are evident as well as the continuous changes in tempo. The use of rhythmic accents enhances the character of the piece from the beginning to the end.

  • Quintaesencia

    Juan Maria Solare

    Juan Maria Solare, born 1966 in Argentina, works currently in Germany as composer, pianist (contemporary & tango) and teaching at the University of Bremen and at the Hochschule fuer Kuenste Bremen. His music has been performed in five continents. Ten CDs of different performers include at least one piece of him.

    Quintaesencia: the title refers to the quintessence of the countryside milonga, that music genre of the River Plate (Argentina and Uruguay) which main rhythmical characteristic is the asymmetric subdivision of the bar 4/4 in 3+3+2 eights (quavers). In turn, the (slow) milonga might be considered as the quintessence of a lacerated soul.

  • Jaywalking Jackalope

    Christiaan Venter

    Christiaan Venter is a Canadian composer whose works in many genres have been performed in Canada, USA, Europe, and Thailand. Upcoming works include a song cycle, an opera, a musical, and several chamber pieces. Christiaan’s goal is to write expressive and uplifting music that excites both audience and performers.

    In “Jaywalking Jackalope” I wanted to explore the fun and playful character of the clarinet. I was also inspired by Bach’s ingenious illusion of counterpoint in his cello suites, and the wide range in timbre, pitch, and dynamics of which the clarinet is capable.

  • Epic

    Kenyon Wilson

    Kenyon Wilson is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Tennessee where he teaches music theory and brass. A Fulbright award recipient, he spent a term teaching at the Baku Music Academy in Azerbaijan in 2002. He serves on the Board of Directors for the International Tuba/Euphonium Association.

    : Epic is a miniature work for solo clarinet premiered by Dr. Bruce Curlette as part of Vox Novous’ Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame recital series.