A clarinet professor from the University of Oregon has been chosen as the artistic director for ClarinetFest. It’s the world’s largest gathering of clarinet artists, performers, and educators. KLCC’s Sajina Shrestha spoke with him about how his work at University of Oregon and teaching philosophy will inform the next ClarinetFest.
Shrestha: In the performance piece, “Scenery for Sky,” there are three instruments present. Two gayageums, a Korean traditional musical instrument, and a clarinet, which is played by UO professor, Wonkak Kim. As the gayageums are strung, the clarinet comes in and weaves itself throughout the performance. This type of intercultural collaboration between Korean traditional music, Korean composers, and the clarinet is something Kim has been doing ever since he arrived at UO. He said this collaboration informs his teaching.
Kim: I've been sort of developing teaching philosophy that really broadens the students’ creative output and creative potential by tapping into something a little bit more than what conventionally we were, I guess, told to do. And for me personally, it's been always sort of exploring my own heritage as a Korean, Korean American person, and it's not obviously limited to that, but I found [it] very practical and beneficial way to work in this sort of intercultural collaboration, through intercultural collaboration, so that work itself generated a lot of interest among my students. [There was] nothing more gratifying for me to see. A piece that's been born through collaboration with Korean composers. And all of a sudden, these local students from Oregon find the work fascinating. They want to learn and perform. And the composers, when they hear the students in Oregon, for example, perform this music by the person in Korea. I mean, it's just incredible collaborative, collaborative work.
Shrestha: This collaborative work can be heard in another of Kim’s pieces, titled, “Blush for Solo Clarinet.” Kim performed this piece at the Schnitzer Museum of Art in 2019. The piece was composed by Korean composer, Jean Ahn. Ahn arranged the notes and tempo in the style of traditional Korean Music and here, Kim brought it to life with the clarinet. Now, as artistic director for ClarinetFest, he hopes to bring this form of collaboration through music to an international stage.
Kim: Everybody knows, music is such an incredible power to bring people together, probably because, sometimes you don't really need to use the word, or politics or ideology. I mean, you just, you collaborate through intuition and the sound. And there's something really wonderful about it, something so human, or something beyond human. [So, like I said,] Clarinet [certainly is.] It's kind of an odd instrument. By itself, it's just a little black wooden stick, you know, it doesn't mean much. But when it enables people from such diverse backgrounds. And for the upcoming ClarinetFest, as I mentioned, there will be 2-3000 people from all over the world. And there’s, as we know, there's so much division and conflicts everywhere. And like the Olympics or anything else, I think these world events can bring people together and remind us how important it is to be connected.
Shrestha: This idea of connection is also what guides Kim on the theme of the next ClarinetFest.
Kim: This year's theme, I think, is tied to sort of highlighting the regional artists and establishing a new sort of tradition. I mean, it's a little bit more complex. I can't think of it off the top of my head, because it's very ambitious. For example, the people who collaborate with traditional musicians of Korea or from Taiwan or Japan, or exploring works by composers from the region. I think those are definitely the work that we'd like to feature. And I think it's beneficial for everybody you know, for the regional artists, it's a world stage where they can showcase their work. And for the attendees from you know, non Asian countries, it's a wonderful opportunity to observe there firsthand and also be acquainted with these wonderful musicians and learn about this new possibility.
Shrestha: Kim is excited to be a representative of this form of collaboration, he says that his experiences as a Korean American clarinetist prepare him for this big stage.
Kim: I'm here in Oregon as a clarinet professor, but in a way that I do represent the American sort of traditional clarinet school, and also a person who has a deep connection and understanding of Korea and the regional sort of culture. So I think that's sort of the ultimate sort of vision for this upcoming clarinet fest, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes to fruition.
The upcoming ClarinetFest will be held in Incheon, South Korea in July.
