SECOND STAGE: Alexis Oña, clarinet | Reed-emption | Graduating Student Project

This program reflects my relationship with the clarinet as more than an instrument—it is a voice through which I process emotion, memory, and identity. Each piece represents a different way of understanding sound: sometimes intimate, sometimes virtuosic, and sometimes deeply personal.

Béla Kovács’s Hommage à Manuel de Falla explores color and character through a stylized homage, while Louis Cahuzac’s Cantilène brings the clarinet closer to the human voice, focusing on breath, line, and subtle expression.

The Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano by Jean Françaix contrasts with a lighter and more playful language, where clarity and rhythm take center stage. In a similar chamber setting, Paul Juon’s Trio Miniature offers a more introspective Romantic voice, while Jan Van Schoonenbeek’s Eccentric Trio introduces a contrasting energy through rhythm and character.

Franz Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen represents a moment of connection between voice, clarinet, and piano, where themes of distance, nature, and longing unfold with a sense of emotional openness.

Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto closes the central repertoire of the program. For me, this work represents a balance between lyricism and freedom, requiring both control and a sense of release in sound and phrasing.

The program concludes with Mosaico ecuatoriano, a reflection of my cultural background. This piece brings together musical elements that are part of my identity, connecting the classical tradition with the sounds and memories I grew up with. In this sense, the clarinet becomes not only a classical instrument, but also a bridge between different musical worlds.