Casella Sinfonietta

Casella Sinfonietta UNCG Nov. 12, 2009

The Casella Sinfonietta is an ensemble of Graduate students that play every instrument from flute to violin. Their performance was based on very well known chamber music ranging from traditional composers such as Beethoven to more modern composers such as Stravinski. Since my honors proseminar class has been looking into furthering education, I took time to interview Graduate student in the Casella Sinfonietta.

Boja Kragulj is a Doctoral clarinet performance major from Illinois. She attended Interlocken Acadamy of music in Northern Michigan and decided to become a music performance major. Originally she was interested in becoming a member of the Chicago symphony, but after playing and getting involved in her major, she realized that she was more interested in a solo career rather than an orchestral profession. She was lucky enough to be enrolled and accepted in the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she continued to pursue her degree in clarinet performance.

Boja Kragulj

Later, she studied under Eric Mandet (considered the greatest contemporary clarinetist and composer in the world) at South Illinois University. He saw music from a compositional standpoint verses the soloist’s standpoint, and this helped her realize how she wanted to apply her performance Later, she decided to get her Master’s degree in music education focusing on Post-secondary education in the University and Conservatories. Outside of education, she wanted to get back her performance abilities and for that, she was led to UNCG to study under Dr. Kelley Burke (most famous clarinet pedagog in the US) for her scientific exploration of clarinet playing.

When I asked Boja what she inevitably wanted to achieve replied with a laugh, “To get a job would be nice. With the economy as it is, performing jobs are hard to get. In the past year only 2 performance opportunities have opened in the US. It’s rough. At this point I’d like to get a professor job at a university teaching undergraduate theory and performance.

When I asked her about the Casella Sinfonietta concert, Boja told me that originally she was scheduled to play the Stravinski’s Concerto in Eb, but the other clarinetist got sick and was instead asked to perform Beethoven’s Rhondino. She was given the parts and was required to perform them after only 2 rehearsals with the music. “I can easily sit down, read, and perform something. Especially in the small group feel and sound that you get with the Casella Sinfonietta. But, it was difficult to go from one playing style to a completely different one in only two rehearsals.” She continued to go into a lengthy explanation of how hard it is to make an instrument built for orchestral music to make the same sound meant for an intimate chamber ensemble. But ultimately, she was proud of the performance and enjoyed the variety of pieces that she played. “It helps to play many things in different styles. It helps you learn. For instance the Stravinski piece has a very reduced instrumentation due to the Great Depression. Since there were few musicians during this time, the music reflects this. There’s a lot of subdivision with changing meters to reflect the style and emotion experienced during that day.”

Something that bothered me with the performance was the initial interpretation of the pieces. According to Boja, and I happen to agree fully, the conductor was very careful with the interpretation. This carefulness often causes a bit of strain on the instruments and the musicians. The conductor and the instrumentalists often have different interpretations of the piece and therefore play differently. Beethoven has a very periodic interpretation and for Boja, this meant paying close attention to the clarinet that is built for a contemporary orchestra verses the smaller Beethoven era clarinet which would use a different sort of articulation, breathing, and technique.

In closing the interview with Boja, I asked her about the success she’s made in her career. She replied smartly, “whatever your career is, you need to think outside the box of what you think you can do. Success means more than being good in school. How can you implement things and how can you make them better? This is ultimately what makes you better and makes you successful.”