The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Liberal and Fine Arts School of Music Presents:
“
Reflections ”
A Graduate Clarinet Recital by Clarisa De la Garza
Friday, April 17 th 2024
7:30pm
Time Piece s (1983)
I. Allegro risoluto
II. Andante espressivo
III. Allegro moderato
IV. Andante molto and Allegro
Cinco Bocetos (1984)
I. Preludio
II. Canción del campo
III. Interludio nocturno
Robert Muczynski (1929 -2010)
with Dr. Jeong -Eun Lee ( piano )
IV. Canción de la montaña
V. Final con pájaros
Contrasts ( 1938)
I. Verbunkos (Recruiting Dance)
II. Piheno (Relaxation)
III. Sebes (Fast Dance)
Roberto Sierra (b.1953)
Béla Bartók (1881 -1945)
with Dr. Jeong -Eun Lee (piano) and Elisa Nivon (violin)
Rhapsody no.1: “Impressions” (2023)
Clarisa De la Garza (b.1993)
with Dr. Jeong -Eun Lee (piano), Eymen Geylan (piano),and Chase Ozment (drums)
Time Pieces:
Time Pieces (1983) was composed for Mitchell Lurie, a world renowned clarinetist and long -time teacher at the University of Southern California. The work was premiered by Lurie and Muczynski at the 1984 International Clarinet Association conference in London. Since its premiere, Time Pieces has become a popular work among clarinetists.
Though there is not much information from Muczynski himself in regard to his Time Pieces, he has been quoted as saying:
“This composition is a suite of four contrasting pieces, each highlighting some specific characteristics of the clarinet in terms of range, technical prowess, color, and expressiveness… The title of the work, Time Pieces, has nothing to do with mechanical clocks or watched. It is not a play on words but rather an awareness that everything exists in time: history, our lives, and…in a special way…music.”
Cinco Bocetos:
Latin American composer Roberto Sierra has written these colorful sketches (bocetos) of tropical scenery to explore the different registral, timbral and virtuosic possibilities of the clarinet. The first movement Preludio starts the set with exciting rhythms of salsa, while Interludio Nocturno (Nocturnal Interlude) glances at the beautiful and ephemeral images of the tropical nights. Rustic songs inspire Cancion del Campo (Country Song) and Cancion de la Montana (Mountain Song). The cycle closes with Final con Pajaros (Finale with Birds) that quotes an old Catalonian folk tune.
Kathleen Jones commissioned this unaccompanied work in 1984 to play in London at Pamela Weston’s International Clarinet Congress in August. The first performance of Cinco Bocetos was given at the Robert Marcellus Master Classes in June of 1984.
Contrasts:
Bartók wrote Contrasts in 1938 at the request of clarinetist Benny Goodman and the great Hungarian violinist Joseph Szigeti.
Contrasts is Bartók’s only chamber-music score with a wind instrument. In his string quartets, he normally treated the strings as a homogeneous group – that is, he was concerned with finding novel ways of blending instruments of similar tonal quality. That approach, Mozart and Brahms had demonstrated in their quintets for clarinet and strings, was impossible with the reedy clarinet. In this work, consequently, Bartók sought instead to find novel ways of contrasting the instruments, thus giving the work its name.
Contrasts also reflects Bartók’s life -long effort to integrate into his own music the extensive research of his early years in central European folk music. Two of the work’s three movements are, in fact, highly sophisticated treatments of folk dances.
The first, Verbunkos, derives from an 18 th century Magyar dance performed by soldiers in full uniform with swords and spurs. The dance was often used to attract new recruits, and is thus sometimes referred to as a “recruiting dance.” The richly ornamented figures characteristic of the dance were t raditionally played on a primitive conical clarinet called the tarogato, which became a freedom symbol in the Hungarian struggle against Hapsburg oppression. The clarinet, consequently, presents the main theme of the movement and retains much of the interest, including a brilliant cadenza.
Piheno , the title of the second movement, means simply “relaxation.” The first section is a short and slow chorale for the clarinet and violin, punctuated by bass trills in the piano. A middle section is more agitated, and a closing section repeats the elements of the opening section but with the melodic interest assigned mainly to the piano.
Sebes is a fast dance, again in three sections. The movement requires two violins, one tuned normally and one with the G and E strings flatted a half step, and two clarinets, one in A and the other in B flat. The first section is opened by a series of bare fifths on the open strings of the mis -tuned violin, against which the clarinet states the main theme. The central section of the movement is in a characteristic Bulgarian rhythm of 8+5 over 8, with the 13 beats within each bar grouped 3+2+3+2+3. After the return of the first section, it is the violin’s turn to have a cadenza, and the work then accelerates to a hectic close.
Rhapsody no.1: “Impressions”:
Three themes tell a story of tragedy and hope while journeying through the seven stages of grief. The first, a gentle four-note motive; the second, an aggressive rhythm in 7/4; the third, an alternating scalar pattern. The first two themes struggle for dom inance throughout the work until the third theme offers respite through transformation, and the ending is left open ended . Th is may be left open to interpretation. The musical progression throughout the piece paints a picture of conflict and grief, wherein change paves the way to acceptance and hope.
Inspiration for the piece came from my love of progressive rock and metal music, particularly in the ways that these genres play with storytelling elements and rhapsodic structures. The clarinet lines resemble electric guitar solos soaring over aggressive rhythmic sections, with frequent changes in meter typical of the genre. The musical and structural stylings of Dream Theater's "Octavarium" and "A Change of Seasons," as well as Haken's "Crystallized," were particular inspirations. I am always moved by the mes of personal growth and wanted to convey my own journey in this way. It's my hope that others may find connections to their own stories within this piece.
Clarisa De la Garza
Clarisa De la Garza grew up in Mission, TX. She began her clarinet studies under Dr. Bill O'Neil at the University of Texas Pan American at the age of thirteen. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in music performance from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2017. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in music performance at the University of Texas at San Antonio and teaches part time at the Musical Arts Center of San Antonio as a clarinet and piano instructor. In 2016 she was the winner of UTRGV's annual concerto competition for her performance of Weber's Concertino in Eb Major, Op.26 and in 2022 she was the winner of UTSA's annual concerto competition for her performance of Debussy's Premiere Rhapsodie
Clarisa has a joy for all things music and has experience in various areas beyond clarinet performance, including clarinet pedagogy, piano performance, piano pedagogy, piano accompaniment, conducting, arranging, and composing. She has been teaching privately since 2015 and is passionate about sharing musical knowledge and skills in a casual and nurturing environment. Her clarinet students have exhibited success in TMEA and ATSSB middle and high school region and state competitive events.
In between studies and teaching, Clarisa composes music, primarily featuring the clarinet and piano. Her improvisatory piece for clarinet choir, "9:13," had its world premiere performed by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley clarinet ensemble at the International Clarinet Association conference in Lawrence, Kansas in 2016. Her most recent work for clarinet choir, "Lost in Reverie," was commissioned by Dr. Nicholas Councilor and the University of Texas at San Antonio clarinet ensemble and was performed at the Texas Music Educator's Conference in San Antonio, Texas in 2024. Her works are both self -published and available through CAMco Music, LLC at clarinetallmusic.com.
During her time away from music, Clarisa enjoys boxing, relaxing at home, and game nights with friends.
Dr. Jeong -Eun Lee
Dedicated to performing a wide range of solo and chamber repertoire, pianist JeongEun Lee is Assistant Professor of Instruction in Collaborative Piano at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Prior to joining UTSA,Leetaught at Indiana University as Visi ting Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Scholar and held collaborative pianist positions at the State University of New York at Geneseo and Riverside City College in California.
Jeong-Eun Lee has served as a collaborative pianist and performance coach at the Aspen Music Festival, where she previously received instrumental and vocal fellowships. She attended Songfest in Los Angeles as a Professional Piano Fellow and played in maste rclasses of Margo Garrett, Graham Johnson, Martin Katz and Roger Vignoles. Lee participated in festivals including the Amalfi Coast Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Collabfest, Kneisel Chamber Festival and Holland International Music Session s.
Since her orchestral debut with the Skagit Valley Symphony, Lee has appeared as a soloist with orchestras around the United States including the Seattle Symphony, Eastman School Symphony Orchestra, and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. She has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA and in the Czech Republic, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Lee received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music, and the Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance, from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Jean Barr and Nelita True. As a student of Yoshikazu Nagai, she received the Master of Music degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance. In addition to a concerto performance with the Riverside City College Symphony Orchestra, recent engagements inclu de chamber concerts in the United States and South Korea.
Elisa Nivon
Elisa is a dedicated violinist and a member of the National Symphony of Mexico (OSN), also serving as a Suzuki Method violin instructor. Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Elisa commenced her musical studies at a young age at the "Talent Education Institute of the Suzuki Method". She earned a bachelor's degree with an honorific mention from the Superior School of Music (ESMProf. Vera Silantieva) in Mexico City. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Music in performance under the renowned Dr. Nicole Cherry at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she also serves as her teaching assistant.
Elisa initiated her orchestral career at the age of 10, playing with "Concertino di Kyoto Jr," "Concertino di Kyoto," "Kyoto Jr. Symphony Orchestra," "Morelos Chamber Orchestra," "Mineria Symphony Orchestra," and the "National Symphony Orchestra." She has received several awards, including second place and honorable mention, in Mexican national chamber music competitions as a duo for piano and violin.
Having collaborated with renowned musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Vadim Gluzman, Viktoria Mullova, Yuja Wang, Pablo Ferrández, Pablo Sáinz, and Plácido Domingo, Elisa has performed in prestigious concert halls worldwide, including venues in Mexico, Germany, Austria, China, and Japan. As an active performer, she has received numerous invitations to participate in significant musical projects, including Netflix film recordings, popular music collaborations, and TV appearances such as Amazon Ori ginal Series “Mozart in the Jungle,” Mexican Artistic Channel “Canal 11,” and the Rock Festival “Vive Latino” in Mexico City with the Mexican band Zoe.
Elisa is also a founding member of the Nevado String Quartet, the resident chamber ensemble of the Mexico State University of the Performing Arts. In addition to her performance career, Elisa is a passionate teacher dedicated to music outreach in underdeveloped towns in Mexico. She owns a violin made by the prize - winning violin maker Erick Iván Díaz and plays his op.36, Stradivarius model, which belongs to Luis Rivera.
Eymen Geylan
Eymen Geylan was born in Izmir, Turkey. In 2005, at the age of 12, she began to play the piano at the Conservatory of Dokuz Eylül University. She participated in 3. Pera Piano Festival. She actively studied with Marina Horak, Victor Santiago Asuncion, Zöhrab Adıgüzelzade during Pera Piano Festival. In 2011, she moved to Istanbul a year later and got accepted to the Conservatory of Istanbul University. During he r education in Istanbul Conservatory, she had performed a workshop with Pablo Galdo and Jose Manuel Gonzalez Fernandez who was a faculty member of Vigo Conservatory in Spain. In 2014, she participated in International Duo Piano Competition, held by 9. Pera Piano Festival and was awarded with the 3rd prize. In 2016, she moved to the United States and continued her music education at San Antonio College with Dr. Mark Alexander. In 2018, she transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio and got accepted to Dr. Kasandra Keeling’s studio. She finished her bachelor’s degree in 2021 and continues her master’s degree in the same institution. She participated in Olga Kern’s, Anton Nel’s, Gab riela Martinez’s masterclasses.
Eymen Geylan performed in many concerts, performed with chamber orchestras and gave many recitals during her education. She actively accompanies to the other instrumentalists. Eymen Geylan still continues her master’s degree in University of Texas at San A ntonio on piano performance emphasis. She performed Liszt Piano Concerto No.2 with South Texas Symphonic Orchestra in February 2024. Eymen Geylan was recently awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student of College of Liberal and Fine Arts in Annual University Life Awards. She is planning to graduate in Spring 2024 and continue her doctoral degree in music.
Chase Ozment
Chase Ozment received his Bachelors Degree in jazz performance at the University of Texas at Austin in 2019.
Chase has been playing and educating professionally as a drummer and percussionist for over ten years. He has played with ensembles of virtually every style of popular music, but his longest running endeavor is with an Austin -local NOLA -style jazz group called Big Wy’s Brass Band, which has won Best Horns in Austin at the Austin Chronicle AMAs two times.
Chase’s other accolades include multiple tours throughout Central America, TEDx performances, educational clinics for all ages of music students, performances for political bodies and other notable figures (including Beto O’Rourke, Steve Adler, Greg Abbott, Kendra Scott, Greg Fenves), an ACL Festival performance, and countless performances at venue across Texas for public shows and private events alike.
In addition to a lengthy performance history, Chase has had many students and groups under his purview as a private educator. He has taught for multiple private music institutions, in his own mentorship studio, and has instructed full -sized ensembles. He currently teaches at The School of Rock, where he teaches ten private students and eighth different bands.
He currently lives in San Antonio with his wife Hayley Entrop -Ozment and their two dogs, Honey and Indiana. Chase loves performing and entertaining his audiences.
