Every effort was made to provide clear directions to the campus and to the buildings involved in the workshop. There was a minimum of fuss registering and obtaining room assignments.
Recordings of this year's performances were made available on CDR. The early concerts and recitals could be purchased within a couple of days, though the last two days had to be mailed later. Again, the preparation was done ahead of time and there was only one concert not available due to release restrictions and that was by the Boston Brass who had CD's for sale after their performance and at the UMI exhibit.
Unfortunately, many of the master classes and lectures were not recorded. Tuesday morning's panel discussion entitled "How To Have a Day Job And Still Be A Horn Player" fell into this catergory. The small lecture room was filled almost to capacity for the unscripted talk. I did get permission from the participants before getting the session on my MiniDisc recorder.
There is never a better time to try out all the models available than at a workshop. All the big names were there, UMI (Conn and King), Paxman, Alexander, Yamaha, Hans Hoyer and my old friends from Holton/Leblanc, Ethel Merker and Larry Ramirez who are stalwarts of these workshops. All the reps are very easy to talk to and eager to answer any questions.
COLD LAKE, ALBERTA:
UNLIKELY LOCALE FOR BIG-TIME CLASSICAL MUSIC EVENT
Each year, the weekend after Labour Day, the best place in Canada to hear live chamber music is Cold Lake, Alberta. That's where many of the country's top French horn players have gathered for the past five years for the "Call of the Wild" Horn Music Festival.
This year, Canada's finest will be joined by renowned soloists from Iceland and the U.K.
While the Northeastern Alberta city may seem an unlikely locale for a festival devoted to classical music, the nearby woods and fields make a natural setting for the sound of the horn. The natural beauty of Cold Lake and the opportunity to make beautiful music have drawn amateur and professional players from across Canada, including top players from major orchestras.
The festival has paid dividends for local music lovers, who would otherwise have to drive over three hours to Edmonton to hear music of this calibre.
International performers will appear for the first time at the 2001 Call of the Wild. Joseph Ognibene, a native Californian and principal horn of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for the past twenty years, will offer a hornplaying workshop, and will share a concert with fellow hornist Chris Gongos of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Andrew Clark of the United Kingdom is one of the world's top performers on baroque and classical "natural" horns (horns without valves). He will be joined in a concert with his wife, Katrina Russell, a renowned bassoonist. Clark and Russell have performed with most of Europe's leading period-instrument orchestra, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Hanover Band, the English Concert, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, and others.
Making a sixth appearance at the Festival is Edmonton group Wind, Women, and Song. Kim Mattice Wanat (soprano), Elizabeth Raycroft (mezzo), Mary Fearon (horn), Darolyn McCrostie (piano) present original and transcribed music as a foursome, or in groupings of two and three. Their varied and lively performances have made them Festival favourites, and have led to the recording of a CD, to be released this fall on the Arktos label.
The other formal performance will be by a 12-member brass ensemble from the Royal Canadian Artillery Band. The Edmonton-based RCA Band is one of the Canadian Forces' six professional bands. The ensemble's performance will be an eye-opener to those who think a military band only plays marches.
Other Festival activities will include an open stage for impromptu performances, a horn-call field competition, and a massed horn choir concert, featuring up to fifty workshop participants.
The sixth annual Call of the Wild Horn Music Festival runs September 7 - 9, 2001.
For more information, please call Jeff Gaye, Festival Director (780)840-8000 ext 8184.