CSU Summer Arts 2016
By David Aguirre

This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Lawrence, Kansas and attend the International Clarinet Association Festival. The festival features clarinetists and artists from around the world, including Sweden, France, and Spain. 

While at the festival, I tried out many different types of clarinets. Vendors of some of the world's best instruments offered festival-goers the opportunity to play on the same clarinets world-renowned artists use. Each one had a distinctive feel and sound. After each festival day was over, everyone would go to the performing arts center and enjoy professional groups sponsored by instrument makers Buffet, Backun, and others, which was very inspirational. I dream of being up there one day, sponsored by Buffet, and performing to a concert hall full of people.

On the last day of the clarinet festival, the group I traveled with had the opportunity to perform at Kansas University's recital hall. We performed the third movement of Frank Ticheli's Concerto for Clarinet. It featured Cal State Fullerton's own clarinet faculty member, Håkan Rosengren. Mr. Rosengren sounded fabulous and the audience clapped and cheered for so long he played an encore piece, which he performed from memory. This was a memorable experience that I will always remember.