Competitions & Awards
Richard Stoltzman & Friends Celebrate the 90th Birthday of Kalmen Opperman
“Great artists may get the spotlight, but the greatest teachers deserve the accolades and rarely receive a thank you, let alone a standing ovation,” says Richard Stoltzman, famed clarinetist and the evening’s host, who remains a student of Kalmen Opperman.
“The one-to-one relationship of teacher to student in music is perhaps more intense and life changing than that of parents and yet an artist’s bio may rarely mention teachers.
“Kalmen Opperman has been my teacher since 1967. After 40 years, I am still his student. He is the complete master of the clarinet in all of its aspects - physical, psychological, tonal, and technical. His lineage flows from Simeon Bellison, former principal of New York Philharmonic, through Prosper Mimart, Debussy’s chosen clarinetist, to Ralph McLane, former principal of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
“He has held an unwavering torch of truth for honesty, beauty, and discipline on the clarinet, and in life. His dedication to each of his students is absolute, his judgment is fierce and his life is a testament to commitment. I invite all who wish to honor the life of a great clarinetist and teacher to join us.”
The students and friends of Kalmen Opperman will pay tribute to their teacher with a concert in honor of his 90th birthday on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 8 P.M. at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
The evening will be hosted by world-renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, who will also perform, and will feature performances by Adam Ebert, Joel Rubin, Alex Bedenko, Orlando Tognozzi, Paul Neubauer, Fred Sherry, Mika Yoshida, and the Kalmen Opperman Clarinet Choir. In addition, students of Opperman’s from as far away as China may attend, as well as special guests including members of the New York Kammermusiker Double Reed Society.
The evening’s program will feature music composed, arranged, transcribed and edited by Kalmen Opperman using mouthpieces and equipment of his design.
Tickets for the December 1 event are $15 and available online at www.carnegiehall.org, or by telephone at Carnegie Charge: (212) 247-7800, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.
The program is as follows: Traditional/Opperman "Danny Boy" Performed by The Kalmen Opperman Clarinet Choir: Adam Ebert, Steve Hartman, Dan Kelly, Margo McGowen, Miki Ryan Conducted by Kalmen Opperman
Opperman "Wee-Zee*" "Charade" "Whoosh" Performed by Adam Ebert, clarinet
Telemann/Opperman Sonata in A Minor From Repertoire Book II by Opperman Performed by Orlando Tognozzi, clarinet
Opperman Music for Klezmer Performed by Joel Rubin, clarinet
Opperman "Un Seul" Performed by Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
JS Bach/Opperman Trios* Performed by Paul Neubauer, viola Fred Sherry, cello Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
JS Bach/Opperman Duo Alex Bedenko, clarinet
Opperman “Roie*” Performed by Mika Yoshida, marimba Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
*= NY Premiere Program and performers subject to change
About Kalmen Opperman (From his website)
Born in 1919 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City and raised in Spring Valley in upstate New York, Kalmen Opperman’s introduction to the clarinet came at the age of ten when his father, an artist and flutist from Vienna, became his first teacher. As a teenager, he studied with Simeon Bellison, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic. By the age of 19, he had enlisted in the army, joining the West Point Band, and shortly thereafter began an intensive six-year period of study with Ralph McLane.
After being discharged from the army, he began a career that would span more than 50 years playing in the orchestras of Broadway musicals. Opperman was also principal clarinetist of the American Ballet Theatre, Ballet de Paris, Ukrainian Folk Ballet and played in commercials on radio and television.
In 1952, he published his first volume of Modern Daily Studies for Clarinet, followed by volumes two and three. In 1956, he completed the Handbook for Making and Adjusting Single Reeds, the first authoritative book on clarinet reed-making, and in 1960, his Repertory of the Clarinet was published by Ricordi (Italy).
About Richard Stoltzman, Host and Clarinetist
Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman's virtuosity, musicianship and sheer personal magnetism have made this two-time Grammy® Award winner one of today's most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than 100 orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber musician (performing the first clarinet recitals in the histories of both the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall), and as an innovative jazz artist, Stoltzman has defied categorization, dazzling critics and audiences alike while bringing the clarinet to the forefront as a solo instrument. A prolific recording artist, Stoltzman can be heard on Parma Recordings, BMG/RCA, SONY Classical, MMC, NAXOS and other labels. His recordings include the Grammy® winning recordings of Brahms' sonatas with Richard Goode; the trios of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma; and Hartke’s “Landscapes with Blues,” a New York Times “Best of 2003.”
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THE FOLLOWING IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION:
For additional information, interview access, CDs and photos, please contact Nancy Shear Arts Services, National Press Representatives for Richard Stoltzman, at 212/496-9418, sheararts@nancyshear.com and www.nancyshear.com.
“The one-to-one relationship of teacher to student in music is perhaps more intense and life changing than that of parents and yet an artist’s bio may rarely mention teachers.
“Kalmen Opperman has been my teacher since 1967. After 40 years, I am still his student. He is the complete master of the clarinet in all of its aspects - physical, psychological, tonal, and technical. His lineage flows from Simeon Bellison, former principal of New York Philharmonic, through Prosper Mimart, Debussy’s chosen clarinetist, to Ralph McLane, former principal of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
“He has held an unwavering torch of truth for honesty, beauty, and discipline on the clarinet, and in life. His dedication to each of his students is absolute, his judgment is fierce and his life is a testament to commitment. I invite all who wish to honor the life of a great clarinetist and teacher to join us.”
The students and friends of Kalmen Opperman will pay tribute to their teacher with a concert in honor of his 90th birthday on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 8 P.M. at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
The evening will be hosted by world-renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, who will also perform, and will feature performances by Adam Ebert, Joel Rubin, Alex Bedenko, Orlando Tognozzi, Paul Neubauer, Fred Sherry, Mika Yoshida, and the Kalmen Opperman Clarinet Choir. In addition, students of Opperman’s from as far away as China may attend, as well as special guests including members of the New York Kammermusiker Double Reed Society.
The evening’s program will feature music composed, arranged, transcribed and edited by Kalmen Opperman using mouthpieces and equipment of his design.
Tickets for the December 1 event are $15 and available online at www.carnegiehall.org, or by telephone at Carnegie Charge: (212) 247-7800, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office: 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.
The program is as follows: Traditional/Opperman "Danny Boy" Performed by The Kalmen Opperman Clarinet Choir: Adam Ebert, Steve Hartman, Dan Kelly, Margo McGowen, Miki Ryan Conducted by Kalmen Opperman
Opperman "Wee-Zee*" "Charade" "Whoosh" Performed by Adam Ebert, clarinet
Telemann/Opperman Sonata in A Minor From Repertoire Book II by Opperman Performed by Orlando Tognozzi, clarinet
Opperman Music for Klezmer Performed by Joel Rubin, clarinet
Opperman "Un Seul" Performed by Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
JS Bach/Opperman Trios* Performed by Paul Neubauer, viola Fred Sherry, cello Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
JS Bach/Opperman Duo Alex Bedenko, clarinet
Opperman “Roie*” Performed by Mika Yoshida, marimba Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
*= NY Premiere Program and performers subject to change
About Kalmen Opperman (From his website)
Born in 1919 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City and raised in Spring Valley in upstate New York, Kalmen Opperman’s introduction to the clarinet came at the age of ten when his father, an artist and flutist from Vienna, became his first teacher. As a teenager, he studied with Simeon Bellison, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic. By the age of 19, he had enlisted in the army, joining the West Point Band, and shortly thereafter began an intensive six-year period of study with Ralph McLane.
After being discharged from the army, he began a career that would span more than 50 years playing in the orchestras of Broadway musicals. Opperman was also principal clarinetist of the American Ballet Theatre, Ballet de Paris, Ukrainian Folk Ballet and played in commercials on radio and television.
In 1952, he published his first volume of Modern Daily Studies for Clarinet, followed by volumes two and three. In 1956, he completed the Handbook for Making and Adjusting Single Reeds, the first authoritative book on clarinet reed-making, and in 1960, his Repertory of the Clarinet was published by Ricordi (Italy).
About Richard Stoltzman, Host and Clarinetist
Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman's virtuosity, musicianship and sheer personal magnetism have made this two-time Grammy® Award winner one of today's most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than 100 orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber musician (performing the first clarinet recitals in the histories of both the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall), and as an innovative jazz artist, Stoltzman has defied categorization, dazzling critics and audiences alike while bringing the clarinet to the forefront as a solo instrument. A prolific recording artist, Stoltzman can be heard on Parma Recordings, BMG/RCA, SONY Classical, MMC, NAXOS and other labels. His recordings include the Grammy® winning recordings of Brahms' sonatas with Richard Goode; the trios of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma; and Hartke’s “Landscapes with Blues,” a New York Times “Best of 2003.”
- = - END - = -
THE FOLLOWING IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION:
For additional information, interview access, CDs and photos, please contact Nancy Shear Arts Services, National Press Representatives for Richard Stoltzman, at 212/496-9418, sheararts@nancyshear.com and www.nancyshear.com.
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