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 music in clarinet at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Praised for her “effortless” and “ethereal” clarinet playing (The Clarinet Journal), Kang is an internationally acclaimed clarinetist, educator, scholar, and curator. Since her concerto debut at 16, she has earned prizes from the Canadian Music Competition, Concours OSM, International Clarinet Association, New Music USA, and Canada Council for the Arts.
A passionate advocate for neurodiversity in music education, Kang has presented over 100 master classes worldwide, including at the Milan Conservatory, Krzysztof Penderecki Academy, and Yonsei University. Her scholarly work is published in Nineteenth-Century Music Review and The Clarinet Journal. She has also served as an adjudicator for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition.
Throughout her career, Kang has initiated innovative community-building projects. During the pandemic, she founded the Silver Linings Initiative, hosting 25 virtual panels with arts leaders. In 2023, she curated the Han and Heung Festival at Louisiana State University, celebrating the cultural resilience of the Korean and African American diasporas.
Kang holds degrees from the University of Michigan (D.M.A.), University of Southern California (M.M.), and University of Toronto (B.M.). She previously taught at Louisiana State, Furman, and North Dakota State Universities. She is a Vandoren and Buffet Crampon Performing Artist Clinician.
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