Lake Effect's 2015 Adventures

One of my favorite things about this group how inspiring and awesome my fellow members are. Erin is a master arranger and an incredibly sensitive 2nd clarinet player, Joe literally can sing through his bass, and I don't even understand how Nora makes the E-flat clarinet sound so freaking good. Seriously. These guys inspire me every time I hear them play. Anyway, we had an eventful 2015. In this post, I will share some highlights from the year.

In March, we played a public concert in Lincoln Park at the DePaul Art Museum. It was a Schubertiade, and being the permanent 3rd clarinetist of the group, I was the lucky winner of having to play the viola part. Folks, let me tell you... playing the viola part in a string quartet is actually really hard. Throat tones galore! I really had to up my game in projecting my sound in the low to mid register. Who would have thought that air support, embouchure control, and playing with high tongue position would help that cause?

Part way through the year, we signed on with Vandoren as Generation Vandoren artists. If you aren't sure what it is, that's okay; we weren't sure either. It's kind of a new thing. Basically, we are an artist group that, in addition to performing regular concerts, connects with the younger generation of clarinet players through our presence in social media - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and good old fashioned school clinics.  

Pictured right:
Clinic at Lakeview High School in Chicago, IL.   

At our school clinics, we typically feature Erin Miesner's master arrangements and tips for students to self-rehearse their own chamber music. We even include interactive games on how to make musical decisions independently of a coach or director.

Pictured left: Vandoren Booth at Midwest Clinic 2015, post-LECQ performance. DePaul University alumni and faculty!  

With an exciting 2015 behind us, Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet is looking forward to an even more clarinet filled 2016. For more information about Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet, visit our website at lakeeffectclarinetquartet.com and like us on Facebook!  

Next stop: Elmhurst Concert at Elmhurst Public Library, in February 2016!