Busy schedule for Clarinet Congress

By Jodie Mocciaro
University Communications student-intern

West Coast Clarinet Congress students performed at Roosevelt high School in Fresno in 2004.

The West Coast Clarinet Congress (WCCC), founded and directed by Fresno State music professor Miles Ishigaki, is holding its annual conference in Acapulco , Mexico , Jan. 5-12, and will perform and present master classes at Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico.

The conference is a collaboration between the Congress International of Clarinet and Saxophone of Mexico, WCCC and Fresno State . It is an opportunity for students and professionals from across North America to come together to learn, listen and perform.

The WCCC 2005 will perform on the campus of Fresno State on Saturday, Jan. 15. The hour-long concerts start at 10 a.m. and continue until 9:30 p.m. They are free and open to the public.

"I founded the WCCC organization because of the high level of performance and the strong interest demonstrated by students in our community," said Ishigaki. "There have been numerous clarinetists over the past 20 years who have competed successfully in regional, state and national events under my direction."

In addition, he said, a Fresno State clarinet student participated in the Fulbright Scholar's program 1997-98 and numerous other graduates have received sizeable scholarships and grants to continue in doctoral and graduate programs.

Held on the Fresno State campus, Fresno , the congress is devoted to the enhancement of creative thinking and intellectual thought through the discussion of musical ideas in concerts, clinics, master classes, research, instrument design, exhibits, workshops and performances related to the clarinet.

Ensemble members Dr. Miles Ishigaki, Christine Montanez, Laura Ramos, Jennifer Reimer, Elizabeth McLeod, Myra Rodriguez, Matthew Horton and Tim Johnson are dedicated to the performance practice of chamber music for the clarinet. 

Bringing top artists to Fresno State for the West Coast Clarinet Congress the past five years was the first step to meet the needs of talented students in the community, said Ishigaki.

Among those who have participated are: Michele Zukofsky, principal clarinet, LA Philharmonic; Christopher Sereque, principal clarinet, Seattle Symphony; Burt Hara, principal clarinet, Minnesota Symphony, Buddy DeFranco, renown jazz clarinetist; Mitchel Lurie, professor, University of Southern California; David Etheridge, professor, University of Oklahoma; and Marino Calva, principal clarinet, Mexico City and Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico professor

For the fourth year, WCCC members will present concerts and clinics in various Fresno County schools. Ishigaki and Calva, along with WCCC Ensemble members, will be in the schools Jan. 14-21.

"Presenting the music of Mexico directly to students of Parlier Unified, Sanger Unified, Raisin City School District , Central Unified, Fresno Unified, Madera Unified, Fowler Unified and others will be very exciting," said Ishigaki. "Having Marino Calva communicating to the Mexican-American students of our community is riveting."

"A side benefit for our college students is the chance to work with the Fresno Consul of Mexico , which has invited WCCC Ensemble members to their offices to get a glimpse of the various services they provide to the community," said Ishigaki.

For the next five years the conference will be focused on Acapulco , Mexico , and Fresno State , to bridge a closer relationship between Mexico , Central California and the West Coast. The event was held in 2003 at the University of Hawaii and Fresno State , and in 2004 at East Tennessee State University and Fresno State.

Ishigaki and WCCC Ensemble have been invited to perform at the International Clarinet Association Conference in Tama , Japan , in July.

Ishigaki Duo and WCCC are a part of a newly commissioned work for Flute, Clarinet and Piano through the Flute/Clarinet Duos Consortium being premiered in LA at the National Flute Association Conference in summer 2005.

The West Coast Clarinet Congress, based on the Fresno State campus, is an organization devoted to the enhancement of creative thinking, intellectual thought and discussion of musical ideas through concerts, clinics, master classes, research, instrument design, exhibits, workshops, and performances related to or involving the clarinet. The congress collaborates with other university campuses and international organizations in order to achieve its mission.