From June 28-30, 2024, PCM held its annual Clarinet camp, led by Laura Stoutenborough and Micah Wright. From PCM regulars to a student traveling from Texas, clarinet players of all levels and ages 12+ focus on fundamentals in breathing, embouchure, and articulation through exercises in reed-work, practice techniques, and chamber music. This year included a masterclass by Yehuda Gilad, from the University of Southern California.

We had the opportunity to chat with Amay Pant, a student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, who, for the second year in a row, traveled from Texas to participate in the camp. He recounts what his experience was like last year (2023) and what motivated him to make the journey again this summer.

How did you hear about PCM’s Clarinet Camp? What motivated you to sign up even though it’s not in your home state?
I was looking for summer festivals last year when I heard Burt Hara was doing a master class at PCM. I didn’t even know where Pasadena was, but I knew that this was the Burt Hara I’d been listening to for the last year and I just had to meet him. So I went to the camp last year and had a lesson and masterclass with him, which was so fun. Then this year, I was already thinking of coming back when I found out Yehuda Gilad would be there – I had to come back. Both years were absolutely transformative. Not just the master classes, but also the clarinet choir and chamber music, which not all of us get to do in college.

What was your experience like last year?
First, Laura taught chamber music techniques and at that time I had never played in a clarinet choir. It was so fun because none of us sounded the same and we were all different levels, but we all managed to blend together. I used to struggle with blending and PCM’s camp really helped me learn how to project when necessary. This year put me to the test again, but everything I learned last year stuck with me. It’s amazing to see the progress I made from last year to this year.

Another memorable moment from last year was Micah Wright’s master class when I played the third movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. Micah had his B-flat clarinet and I had my A clarinet and, at the end, he had us play the last passage together in perfect dissonance – it was pretty funny. That master class was so helpful because Micah is a fantastic pianist and teacher.

Lastly, both Burt Hara and Yehuda Gilad are geniuses. Burt taught me a lot about moderation of sound and Yehuda helped me find the right amount of air to make the sound more pure and less harsh.

What did you hope to gain from the camp this year and what was your experience like? Can you share some highlights?
So this year, unlike last year, was a weekend camp, making it a lot more accessible since nobody needed to skip work or school. This year, I came straight to PCM from the airport, so my reeds were still Texas reeds when I started playing. It was fun to feel how they had changed over those two hours. We began by trying out Vandoren mouthpieces then hopped straight into chamber music.

Over this last year I’ve been trying to figure out what type of sound I want as a clarinetist. I’ve been experimenting with sounds that are dense or clear, and also dark or bright. But Yehuda Gilad had the most straightforward suggestion: “Just sing, it’ll happen”. Switching to that mindset makes thinking about your playing much simpler because all you have to do is ask, “how do I sing through this phase”, and then your sound comes naturally.

Another exciting part of this year was getting to play Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto for the masterclass. I had played it before but never with piano accompaniment.

What will you take away from the camp? Will you keep in touch with any of the teachers or students?
I loved the opportunity to make valuable connections with so many great, younger, and older musicians. I will definitely keep in touch with all of them. I exchanged Instagrams with the students and instructors this year and last.

I learned so many new techniques. Professor Gilad showed me how to breathe into my back, for example, which lets the rest of your body expand and release tension. This has tripled the size of my sound. Then I was releasing too much air – to which he said to keep taking in big breaths just don’t let the air out as quickly. And that transformation happened so quickly. Also, Laura showed us an exercise with a balloon that allowed us to better hear the sound of our tongue on the mouthpiece so that we could adjust and get clearer articulation.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
I could see this being a really popular program. There are people from all levels – complete beginners to a master student from China – and every single one of us had something incredibly valuable to learn. The younger kids learn so much by listening to the sounds of the older students as well as the feedback they’re given. It’s also a great opportunity for older kids to relearn their fundamentals and play for extraordinary people.

University students who are looking for summer festivals may not realize that this is basically a really short summer festival. That’s another reason why a weekend program is great because it allows students from all over to participate.

I also think it could be a bigger program because of the celebrities from the clarinet world that PCM brings in like Burt Hara and Yehuda Gilad, but they are also trying to get Boris Allakhverdyan for next year. I’ll definitely do my part and tell everyone how great of a place and experience it was.