Clarinetist Named Winner of Graduate Exhibition

Congratulations to clarinetist Katherine Kessler who was named the winner of the 2018 Penn State Graduate Exhibition (Performance Option). Katherine performed ?Hommage ‡ Manuel de Falla? by BÈla Kov·cs at the competition held March 23 at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Violinist Alma Bulibekova was awarded second place, playing "Kuy" by Mansur Sagatov. Soprano Juliana Alfano, performing Leonard Bernstein?s ?Glitter and be Gay,? tied for third place with soprano Erin McDaniels, who performed "Donde lieta uscÏ," by Giacomo Puccini and Kurt Weill?s "What Good Would the Moon Be?".

The annual Penn State Graduate Exhibition includes music and theatrical performances, visual arts displays, poster exhibits and research presentations, and video submissions. These events celebrate research and creative scholarship in all aspects as an essential and exciting part of graduate education at Penn State. Established in 1986, the exhibition places special emphasis on communicating research and creative endeavor to a general audience and offers an unusual opportunity for professional development by challenging graduate students to present their work in clear, comprehensible terms to people outside their fields.

Katherine Kessler is a first-year master?s student in clarinet performance, studying in the studio of Penn State clarinet professor Anthony J. Costa. A native of Buffalo, NY, she received her bachelor?s degree in music education and performance from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. At Penn State, she serves as the graduate teaching assistant for the clarinet studio, and performs with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Clarinet Choir, and Graduate Woodwind Quintet.

Katherine?s recent performances at Penn State include the completion of her first master?s degree recital, the President?s Concert at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and the School of Music?s ?Mosaic.? While a student at the Crane School of Music, Katherine performed at the 2016 College Band Directors National Association?s eastern division conference, as well as at Carnegie Hall.

In summer 2017, Katherine traveled to Tanzania, Africa where she taught general music and clarinet to students through the Daraja Music Initiative (DMI). ?Teaching secondary students in Tanzania to play musical instruments empowers them by improving problem-solving skills, facilitating self-sufficiency, and by†providing a healthy creative outlet. Students and DMI teachers take part in innovative interdisciplinary performances/tree plantings throughout Tanzania to help connect the clarinet and the tree it is made of, Mpingo, with the community?therefore fostering a†sincere desire for a sustainable future.?

Katherine has had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses presented by Hein Weidijk, Dan Gilbert, Chad Burrow, Michael Webster, Andy Brown, and Julie Detweiler. In addition to Professor Costa, her major teachers include Julianne Kirk-Doyle and Patti DiLutis.