A stellar lineup of artists will join revered faculty clarinetist William Powell for Swan Song — his farewell concert at California Institute of the Arts. The concert, honoring Powell on the occasion of his upcoming retirement, will take place in the Roy O. Disney Music Hall of the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m.

The program includes both classical and contemporary classical works featuring the clarinet. Sonatas for clarinet and piano by Brahms and Poulenc will be performed with former CalArts piano faculty member Bryan Pezzone. Other works to be performed are Caravanes for solo clarinet by CalArts alumnus Cesar Mateus; To Grasp is to Uncontrollably Drop for clarinet, piano and Ableton Live by CalArts alumnus Joshua Carro (with the composer at the piano and electronics); and the U.S. premiere of Monolog for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano by Sung-Yong Cheong, a Korean composer who will be on hand to conduct his own work in his first appearance in the United States. CalArts alumna Stephanie Moorehouse (violin), violist Marcus Pyle and CalArts faculty cellist Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick will also perform.

This performance will be William Powell’s “swan song.” He first came to CalArts in 1977 to earn his MFA in Clarinet, and joined the CalArts faculty as Director of the Performance Program in the School of Music in 1985. He has remained full-time faculty in various capacities in the School of Music since that time.

Photo by Scott Groller/CalArts

About William E. Powell (from WilliamEPowell.com)

William E. Powell, faculty clarinetist with the CalArts New Century Players, received the Artist’s Diploma in Clarinet Performance from the Juilliard School in New York City where he studied with Stanley Drucker, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. After additional studies in New York with Leon Russianoff, he moved to California to study with the principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Michele Zukovsky, at the California Institute of the Arts where he received the M.F.A. in Performance in 1979. After graduation from CalArts, Mr. Powell served on the faculties of the University of California, San Diego; San Diego State University; California State University, Long Beach; and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before joining the CalArts faculty.

The recipient of a Senior Research Grant from the Indo-American Fellowship Program of the J. William Fulbright Commission and a CalArts Faculty Creative Leave funded by George and Mary Lou Boone, Mr. Powell lived from August 1993 to June 1994 in India where, as the first non-Indian clarinetist to be accepted as a disciple, he studied with the “Mount Everest of Clarinet” — Master Karnatic clarinetist Sri A.K.C. Natarajan of Tiruchirapalli. Under the patronage of Brhaddhvani Research and Training Centre for Musics of the World and its director, Dr. K. S. Subramanian, he presented concerts of American music for clarinet and electronics throughout India and collaborated with Sri A.K.C. Natarajan and Hindustani clarinet virtuoso Sri Narasinhalu Wadavati in performances of cross-cultural compositions at Rani Seetha Hall in Madras. He also recorded programs of traditional and contemporary music for All India Radio with Indian pianist Handel Manuel.

Mr. Powell, who has commissioned many new works for clarinet and premiered over 300 compositions, has performed at major concert venues throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia including Avery Fischer Concert Hall, Merkin and Carnegie Recital Halls, and Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium at the United Nations in New York; the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; at the North American New Music Festival as soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic; and at the International Congresses on Women in Music in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Bremen.

He has performed as soloist in Pierre Boulez’s Domaines for clarinet and orchestra at “New Music Los Angeles;” in Igor Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto for clarinet and jazz band with composer/conductor John Adams on the “Green Umbrella” concert series at the Japan American Theatre; in Ed Bland’s Magnetic Variations for clarinet and chamber ensemble in a concert in celebration of Martin Luther King Day which was broadcast live on National Public Radio to networks throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Near East; and in the West Coast premiere of Donald Martino’s Triple Concerto for three clarinets and chamber orchestra.

He has also performed for Swedish National Television and on KUSC, FM radio, Los Angeles; on KFAC, as part of the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department’s “Sundays at Seven” series; and on KPFK as guest soloist and host in numerous programs featuring both traditional and contemporary music for the clarinet. He has performed with the Aspen Festival and Chamber Orchestras, the contemporary music ensemble SONOR, the Sierra Wind Quintet, the Naumburg Award-winning Aulos Wind Quintet and, as principal clarinetist, with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, the Las Vegas Symphony, the Reno Philharmonic and the Orange County Chamber Orchestra. He has recorded for CRI, Electra/Asylum and Nonesuch. His CD recording of Virko Baley’s Sculptured Birds for clarinet and piano is available on the Cambria label. And his recording of Barry Schrader’s Five Arabesques for clarinet and electronics was released on CD by Innova in May 2006.