The Los Angeles Clarinet Choir: “Songs and Dances”

Margaret Thornhill, Conductor and Artistic Director
Victoria Ramos Dresel, Associate Conductor

Principal Clarinetist: Victoria Ramos Dresel
Co-Principal: Christin Hablewitz
E-flat Sopranino: David Myer, Jenna Tatiyatrairong
Soprano: Rigo Carillo, Julia Damron, Joel Nalewajek, Andriy Slominsky, Jenna Tatiyatrairong
Alto: Joel Kabakoff
Bass: Hongsik Park, Carlos Herrera
Contrabass: Jose Moreno

The Los Angeles Clarinet Choir–twelve clarinetists performing on soprano, sopranino, alto, bass and contrabass instruments–returns with a program of original music and transcriptions from the USA, Mexico, Latin America, and Europe, including a Danzón by Arturo Márquez, Voice Dance by Greg Jasperse, and a Tarantella for E-flat clarinet by Alexis Ciesla with soloist David Myer. Conducted by Margaret Thornhill and Victoria Ramos Dresel.

Sunday, November 5, 2023, 7 p.m.
Drinkward Recital Hall

Members of the Los Angeles Clarinet Choir. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Clarinet Choir.

PROGRAM

The Los Angeles Clarinet Choir was founded in May, 2005 by renowned Southern California clarinetist and teacher, Margaret Thornhill. Members, who are selected by audition, have college degrees in clarinet performance or the equivalent in college level music study. The ensemble has been featured at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFests© in Vancouver,  Austin, CSU Northridge, Orlando, and Knoxville. LACC  performed at the 2010 Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festival at UCLA and for standing room-only audiences for four years at the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival. They have also performed for schools, churches, libraries and senior centers throughout Southern California, including Westminster Gardens in Duarte, the Baldwin Hills School District, the Ovations Arts series of the La Canada Presbyterian Church, the First AME Church of Pasadena, Artesia High School in Lakewood, the Santa Monica  and South Pasadena Public Libraries,  the Norton Simon Museum, Cal Poly Pomona, Biola University, Concordia University Irvine, and Harvey Mudd College. The LACC has a strong commitment to  performing new, original music for this unusual instrumentation and has given many local and world premieres. A nonprofit,  501(c)3 organization, the LACC is the recipient of a matching grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. To contribute toward the match for our LACAC grant, visit us on the web at: losangelesclarinetchoir.com or speak to an LACC representative.

This organization is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Department of Arts and Culture.


Conductor and Artistic Director

A clarinet recitalist and chamber musician active in the US and Europe, Margaret Thornhill is also one of LA's most sought-after private clarinet teachers. She is a former faculty member of the University of California Santa Cruz, Stanford University,  Occidental College, and Concordia University Irvine, and is currently adjunct professor of clarinet at Claremont Graduate University.  Dr. Thornhill is in demand as a masterclass leader, writes articles for  International clarinet journals, and is a wind chamber music coach for the  Humboldt Chamber Music Worskhop at Cal Poly Humboldt. She holds the DMA from Stanford University.


Associate Conductor

Victoria Ramos Dresel has been principal clarinetist of the LACC since 2006 and Associate Conductor since 2010. She is Director of Bands at Carmenita Junior High School in Cerritos, and previously held that position at Artesia High School in Lakewood.  She holds the MM degree in Music Education from the University of Southern California where she also pursued doctoral work and taught courses in the School of Education. Ms. Dresel studied clarinet with Yehuda Gilad and David Howard at USC and also with Dr. David Ross as an undergraduate at the University of Texas El Paso.