“This is a unique event for the Midwest,” said Cynthia Doggett, festival coordinator. “It attracts world-class faculty, and participants range in age and ability from exceptional high school students to working professional clarinetists. Students of the IWWF have far more interaction with teachers and pianists than in the vast majority of other festivals, and they have more opportunities to perform for others.”
For their tuition dollars, the 42 IWWF participants will receive private lessons, two masterclasses per day, masterclass performances, rehearsals with pianists, faculty concerts and chamber music coaching. The festival also includes a Young Artists Competition, an instrument repair clinic, a concert at the Tulip Toren on the Pella town square and opportunities to socialize with the prestigious faculty members.
Cynthia Doggett, associate professor of music at Central College, is serving as festival coordinator and is a member of the clarinet faculty. Doggett regularly appears around the country and the world as a soloist, recitalist and clinician. In 2010, she was awarded an Iowa Arts Council grant to fund the commission of a sonata for clarinet and piano by Nikola Resanovic. She earned her doctoral and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin and her master’s degree from Kent State University.
“The event is truly international, attracting students from over 10 different countries and four continents,” said Doggett. “The experience for students is intense but exhilarating. IWWF supplies participants with many new approaches to mastering their instrument and understanding the repertoire, but they also build important professional connections and are inspired by hearing numerous performances by professional clarinetists.”
For more information on the IWWF, visit http://iwwf.org.