Blog

We began simply enough: a tracklist scrawled on the back of a receipt at a restaurant in New York City for our first album. But the journey from receipt to reality was anything but simple.

unCLASSIFIED is kicking off an epic summer road trip across the US! We want to introduce you to some of the best cities, music, food, and people around! We packed up the van and headed west. 2 hours and 100 miles west up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH in local speak) lies Santa Barbara; the “Riviera of the West,” as they call it. With pristine, white sand beaches, vineyards, and quality shopping & dining, Santa Barbara is sure to have something for everyone. A perfect day trip from LA, we think it bears investigation! Technically a resident of Houston, Texas, clarinetist Richie Hawley is a Santa Barbara native.

I made this list of orchestra and band etiquette rules to be presented at one of my masterclasses many years ago. My survey was completed over the course of several weeks during rehearsal breaks with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. I asked a dozen or so of my colleagues, "What orchestral habits drive you crazy?"

Many students and professionals ask me, “How can I improve my reeds?” This question comes with the expectation that I will be passing on advice or a method of adjusting.....

Everyone has to play auditions. This is true from the 8th grade clarinetist who is trying to get into the junior high band to the young professional auditioning for one of the world's great orchestras. Even the surgeon who plays the clarinet in the “doctor’s symphony” may take an audition for the opportunity to perform the Mozart clarinet concerto with his orchestra.

I always tell my students this key phrase so that they know how important it is to practice and perform on a reed that