50 Years of Clarinet @ UNCG

Before UNCG became a co-ed institution in 1963, music offerings were limited to choir, piano, voice, and some strings, in accordance with societal norms at the time of “appropriate” musical pursuits for women. In 1963, the institution not only stopped limiting its admission to women, but also changed its name from the “Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina” to “University of North Carolina at Greensboro.” Soon after, the School of Music began to expand its instrumental programs, and in 1966, the clarinet studio was founded. Now beginning it 51st year, the clarinet studio at UNCG enjoys an excellent national reputation, and that reputation rests on the tireless effort and dedication of many, but particularly Dr. Kelly Burke and Mr. Raymond J. Gariglio.

1989–2016 – Kelly Burke, From Regional Reputation to National Stature

Dr. Kelly Burke now serves as Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education, after stewarding the clarinet studio for 27 years. She continues to be an active clarinetist, through her role as Principal Clarinetist of the Greensboro Symphony, bass clarinetist for the Eastern Music Festival, but is not currently taking on any additional clarinet students. Her bio is found here.

Both as a clarinet professor and an administration in music, now housed with the newly formed College of Visual and Performing Arts, Dr. Burke has been a witness to and an active agent of change of the transformation of UNCG’s music programs from a regional reputation and service region to one with national and international reputation as a leader in the training of music professionals. The clarinet studio was at the forefront of growth in the program under her leadership, both in terms of quantity and quality of students. She has drawn students from all over the United States and internationally, and her graduates are found in performance positions, university professorships, and K-12 positions throughout the country. Over the years, she has served UNCG tirelessly in various capacities, as Professor of Clarinet, Department Chair of Music Performance, and as Associate Dean.

1985–1989 – Daryl Coad

Since 1999, Daryl Coad has been a performer and teacher in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in Texas, where he has taught at the University of North Texas in Denton. In addition to leading the clarinet studio at UNCG, while in North Carolina, Coad was on the faculty at the Brevard Music Center, and also served as director of the UNCG University Symphony Orchestra.

1982?-1985 – Unknown to me! Can anyone help me fill in this gap? Please write to me at [email protected]

1981–1982? – Cecil Gold

Part of Cecil “Denny” Gold’s legacy and contributions to the clarinet community come through his work with the International Clarinet Association when the organization was in its early stages. Alan Stanek shared that the ICA first formed in 1973, and in 1974, the Burnett J. Tuthill Research Library formed the basis of what would become the ICA Research Library, with Gold, as professor of clarinet at the University of Idaho, was its first Director. (Incidentally, the library has been stewarded by UNCG clarinet graduate Jon Cipolla, and the current Director is Douglas Monroe, our North Carolina clarinet colleague at East Carolina University.) He taught at UNCG as the clarinet professor for at least one year.

1976–1981 – John Weigand

Ray Gariglio (you can read details about him below) shifted his focus to his large ensembles in 1976, and a dedicated applied clarinet teaching position was created. John Weigand was hired in the new position and stayed until 1981. Weigand shared that during those five years, he also played regularly in the North Carolina Symphony (mostly E-flat clarinet) and was the principal clarinetist in the Greensboro Symphony. In an email from August 2016, he shared: “I had many wonderful colleagues during this time, as well as a great number of outstanding students, several of which went on to college positions.” He has since enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a professor at West Virginia University in Morgantown and also performs regularly with orchestras in that region.

1966–1976 – Ray Gariglio, “The Renaissance Man”

UNCG’s first clarinet professor was Raymond Gariglio, a pivotal figure in the development not only of the clarinet studio, but of what would become the Miles Davis Jazz Program and many of the the instrumental ensembles at UNCG today. (Even though he retired in 1985, as explained above, from 1976–1985 he focused his energy on the ensembles that he led.) While he was not the first band director at UNCG, he helped formalize the offerings of concert band and jazz band in the School of Music. Stacey Krim summarized it well on the Spartan Stories blog: “Raymond J. Gariglio came to UNCG in 1966 as a Professor of Music and became the bandmaster for all UNCG performing band ensembles, many of which he founded himself. In 1969, he established the UNCG Jazz Ensemble, the first university-accredited jazz ensemble in North Carolina, and by 1983, his tireless work in the field had laid the groundwork for the development and debut of UNCG’s Miles Davis Jazz Program to begin offering undergraduate degrees. In addition to developing funding and support for the program, including beginning a series of benefit concerts in 1974 funding the university’s first Jazz Scholarship Fund, Gariglio also personally designed and developed the curriculum for the new program’s teaching of Band Literature, Clarinet Performance, Instrumental Methods, Jazz Arrangement, Jazz Ensembles, Jazz Improvisation, and Wind Ensembles, laying the foundation for faculty to come to improve upon.”

You can read the Spartan Stories article, which includes links to a few spectacular recordings of his performances as a jazz clarinetist, here.