The Fondation des États-Unis is delighted to invite you to the concert Ghidoni and Friends, a clarinet recital by Jenny Maclay, a FEU resident and former Harriet Hale Wooley Scholar. Ghidoni and Friends will feature the works of Armando Ghidoni, Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Schumann. Jenny Maclay (clarinet) will perform, along with collaborative artists Anara Khassenova (soprano) and Orlando Bass (piano). Armando Ghidoni will attend the recital to present his music.
Italian origin but French adoption, Armando GHIDONI brings the spirit of Italy and France together in his music. Eclectic composer, his melodies show the sensitivity and the tradition of “bel canto”. His harmonic writing evokes both French Impressionism and the rhythms of jazz, giving his works a unique and very personal character. Many of his compositions, considered now as references, are regularly imposed in national and international competitions. Armando Ghidoni’s catalog contains a hundred works – a symphony, an opera, stage music, sacred music, chamber music – they are performed in prestigious locations around the world: USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, Korea, Carnegie Hall of New York, Opéra Bastille de Paris, Teatro Municipality of Niteroi Rio de Janeiro.
The Musicians
Vandoren Regional Artist Jenny Maclay is quickly establishing her career as a clarinet soloist, recitalist, orchestral player, and chamber musician. She made her solo debut at the age of 16, as first prize winner of the Huntsville Symphony Young Artist Competition. She was the only North American high school student invited to participate (on a full scholarship) in the inaugural year of the Buffet Crampon USA Summer Clarinet Academy. Additionally, she was the first prize winner of the 2009 Ocala Symphony Young Artists Competition. Ms. Maclay attended the University of Florida where she graduated summa cum laude and was a Fulbright Scholar finalist. Her teachers include Mitchell Estrin, Donald Dowdy, Todd Waldecker, and John Cooper. She has performed in the master classes of noted clarinetists Stanley Drucker, Yehuda Gilad, Jon Manasse, and Charles Neidich, at such venues as the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest and Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. She was the youngest presenter of refereed research at the 2014 International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest. This season, Ms. Maclay presented recitals and master classes at the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, University of Southern Mississippi, and was a featured soloist at the keynote ceremony of the 2015 Alabama Music Educators Association Conference. Her students are regularly selected to perform in the Florida and Alabama All State bands. Ms. Maclay was the recipient of a 2015-2016 Harriet Hale Woolley Award to study music in Paris, she attends the Versailles Conservatoire. She has achieved a number of notable musical honors, including selection as a semi-finalist and finalist for such international competitions as Astral Artists and Concert Artists Guild. Her teachers are Philippe Cuper, Mitchell Estrin, and Donald Dowdy.
The Program
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 – Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
I. Zart und mit Ausdruck II. Lebhaft, leicht III. Rasch und mit Feuer
Jenny Maclay, clarinet, Orlando Bass, piano
Virtuoso Swing Solo – Armando Ghidoni (b. 1959)
Jenny Maclay, clarinet
Preghiera – Armando Ghidoni (b. 1959)
Jenny Maclay, clarinet, Anara Khassenova, soprano, Orlando Bass, piano
Text: Manuela Petrucci
Au rythme des souvenirs – Armando Ghidoni (b. 1959)
Jenny Maclay, clarinet, Anara Khassenova, soprano, Orlando Bass, piano
Text: Léon Dierx
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano – Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
I. Grazioso II. Andantino – Vivace e leggiero
Jenny Maclay, clarinet, Orlando Bass, piano
Alegre Marie – Armando Ghidoni (b. 1959)
First performance
Jenny Maclay, clarinet, Orlando Bass, piano