2018 is here: dates for the diary

Members and their guests will be celebrating our 40th birthday with a birthday get-together at the Duncan McKinnon Reserve Pavilion from 7 to 9 pm on Saturday 24 March. We will be entertained with special musical performances by David Griffiths, Ross Chapman, Joseph Lallo, and Mark McNamara.  Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP by 9th March to Helen Pitt at helpitt@ozemail.com.au if you will be attending.

Our professional development day this year will be led by Paul Jenkins.  Paul, is a graduate of the VCA and holds Masters in Music and Grad Dip of Education from Monash University. Paul has performed with many ensembles including Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Opera Orchestra, and the Grainger Wind Symphony.  As well as clarinet, Paul performs frequently on instruments from the flute, saxophone, and oboe families.

Paul will be discussing strategies that can be adopted when woodwind teachers are required to teach woodwind instruments other than their primary instrument.

He will also describe techniques for finding and preparing music for mixed group ensembles.

Venue to be advised.

Our annual CLASAX Performance Competition for clarinet and saxophone players will be held at Fintona Girls’ School, Balwyn on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 June.  This year, our sponsors include Buffet, Yamaha, and D’Addario Australia.  We will be posting details of the competition categories for ensembles and individual performers under a dedicated tab in our website.

You are invited to the CLASAX mid-year concert to be held at Fintona Girls’ School, Balwyn on Friday 22 June.  In addition to performances by our four ensembles, the mid-year concert will feature winners of the CLASAX Performance Competition playing their prize-winning pieces.  This year, Adrienne Garneau will perform ‘Excursions’ – six pieces and a Sonatina for clarinet and piano by the Australian composer David Henderson.

The adult ensemble day for clarinet will be led by Friedrich (Fritz) Pfatschbacher of Austria.  Fritz is the director of the Austrian Clarinet Society.  In 2007 he was appointed the Chief Conductor of the Austrian Clarinet Choir and in 2012 the national chairperson for the International Clarinet Association. In 2013 he was appointed professor of music at the Mautern Music School in Austria.  He has lectured and held (clarinet choir) workshops at home and abroad.  His book The Clarinet Choir on the history of the clarinet choir was published in 2017.

Venue to be advised.

Our Junior CLASAX Day will be held from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm on Friday 5 October at the Highvale Primary School, Glen Waverley.

This day is for all clarinet and saxophone students who range from Beginners to AMEB Grade 4 standard. Students will spend the day as part of an ensemble, led by two qualified woodwind teachers.  At the end of the day, the attendees will perform pieces they have learned during the day, finishing with a combined piece played by all participants.

We cordially invite you to our final concert of the year on Sunday 25 November, 2pm at the High Street Road Uniting Church at 482 High Street Road, Mount Waverley. Hear extraordinary clarinet and saxophone players perform beautiful music on a huge variety of woodwind instruments.