From Conductor to Collective: Chamber Music as a Model for Ensembles
Clinic Synopsis:
Cultivating a collaborative large ensemble can feel out of reach when prioritizing notes and rhythms. Inspired by elite chamber musicians Denise Tryon and Cecilia Kang, alongside conductor Jason Nam, this clinic translates professional chamber habits into actionable rehearsal tools. Attendees will learn to shift the burden of execution from the podium to the players. Gain insights to establish high artistic standards and enhanced musical awareness in your next rehearsal!
Jason Nam
- Biographical Information
Jason H. Nam is an associate professor of music in bands at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he directs the Concert Band and teaches instrumental conducting, administration of school bands, and wind literature. He also serves as director of the IU Summer Music Clinic.
Nam earned a Doctor of Music in Wind Conducting from the Jacobs School, studying with Stephen W. Pratt. He holds an M.M. in Conducting and a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Redlands. Previously, he lectured at California State University, San Bernardino, and directed school bands in Santa Barbara, California.
Maintaining an active schedule as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician, Nam was a national finalist for The American Prize in Conducting in 2017 and 2023. Under his direction, the IU Concert Band performed at the 2020 CBDNA North Central Conference. He also served as resident music director of the Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble (2016–2021), leading their invited performance at the 2020 Ohio Music Educators Conference.
His research on the music of William Bolcom, Igor Stravinsky's wind chamber music, twentieth-century wind band repertoire, and effective rehearsal methodologies is published in the Journal of the National Band Association and the ABA’s Journal of Band Research.
Nam serves on the NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest national selection committee. He holds memberships in CBDNA, NBA, IMEA, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Denise Tryon - Biographical Information
Denise Tryon is Professor of Horn at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and, since 2019, 4th horn of the American Horn Quartet. She previously served as fourth horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra and held positions with the Detroit, Baltimore, Columbus, and New World Symphonies. She was Professor of Horn at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (2018–2023) and the Peabody Conservatory (2007–2019). A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy (1989) and the New England Conservatory (1993), Tryon won the Coleman Chamber Competition with the Taiyo Wind Quintet, working with composers John Harbison, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Elliott Carter. An active educator, Tryon has taught throughout the U.S., Scandinavia, Europe, Asia, and South America and has been a featured artist at the International Horn Society, Nordic Hornfest, Warsaw Horn Workshops, and Orford Winds. Her 2015 solo album, SO•LOW, received a Special Judges Citation from The American Prize for “Important Commitment to the Music of Our Time.” A Pair of Aces (2017), her duo album with Karl Pituch, earned a Global Music Awards Silver Medal, while her second solo release, Hope Springs Eternal (2020), won the 2022 American Prize for Instrumental Performance. Tryon recently published an expanded edition of Josef Schantl’s Grand Theoretical and Practical Method and recorded the Bach Cello Suites for Parma Recordings.
Cecilia Kang - Biographical Information
Cecilia Kang is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Praised by The Clarinet Journal for her “effortless” and “ethereal” playing, she is an internationally active performer, educator, scholar, and curator. She has appeared as a featured artist at the International Clarinet Association’s (ICA) ClarinetFest and has performed as a concerto soloist with more than twenty ensembles across the globe. Dr. Kang’s research on neurodiversity and inclusive clarinet pedagogy received first prize in the 2023 ICA Research Competition. She regularly presents master classes and lectures worldwide and serves as an adjudicator for the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition, the International Clarinet Association, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Dedicated to community building, she founded the Silver Linings Initiative, a virtual platform featuring conversations with musicians, educators, and arts leaders. She also curated the 2023 Han and Heung Festival at Louisiana State University, celebrating the Korean and African American diasporas through music and dialogue. In addition, she has commissioned and premiered more than a dozen works by living composers from around the world.Dr. Kang holds degrees from the University of Michigan, the University of Southern California, and the University of Toronto. She is a Vandoren and Buffet Crampon Performing Artist. In Fall 2026, she will become the President-Elect of the International Clarinet Association.
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