New Orleans based clarinetist Dr. Ben Redwine served as a guest artist for Single Reed Day. University instructor of Saxophone Brina Bourliea Faciane  helped to organize the event that was dedicated to the instruction and showcasing of saxophonists and clarinet players. 
Annie Goodman/The Lion’s Roar

Instructor of Clarinet Victor Drescher and Instructor of Saxophone Brina Bourliea Faciane hosted an event called Single Reed Day for students of all ages.

“Single reed refers to the single reed that the clarinet and saxophone uses as opposed to double reed,” said Bourliea Faciane. “It’s what makes the sound. When we blow in our instruments, the reed vibrates. We use the single reed as opposed to oboes or bassoons, which use double reed. We came together today, professor Drescher and myself, to host Single Reed Day for saxophones and clarinets specifically.”

For the event on Saturday, Mar. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,  guest speakers were brought in to teach master classes.

“We wanted to bring together our students with other younger high school and middle school students from the community today to show them the great things we have going on at Southeastern,” said Bourliea Faciane. “We want to give them an opportunity to work with the guest artists. So, I brought in Dr. Brian Utley from Vanderbilt University.”

There were also master classes taught by Kenneth Graves, the Principal Clarinet of the Mississippi and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestras, Dr. Ben Redwine, a New Orleans based clarinetist and former Assistant Professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Drescher and Bourliea Faciane.

“A master class is basically a lesson with a professor, but it’s in front of an audience,” said Taylor Assad, a vendor as well as a member of Quartetto Obrigado. “So, a student will perform a piece that they’ve worked on and prepared, and then the instructor will give the student feedback and work with the student in front of other people. They are informed about a piece and they can see how to teach their own students.”

The event also had performances by Quartetto Obrigado. A faculty concert was held at the end of the day. This was the first time the university hosted Single Reed Day. Previously, there was a Clarinet Day but they decided to expand the event to include saxophones.

“Last year, the Clarinet Day inspired it,” said Bourliea Faciane. “I’m a new professor here, so this is my first year. I was inspired to bring a guest in and show the students here things that they had never seen or heard before. It’s fun to bring in these vendors. We have different folks here with reeds and instruments. It’s fun to kind of see new instruments and new things.”

At this event, they gave door prizes to students that attended.

“I think they’ll take away some door prizes,” said Bourliea Faciane. “We’ve already given away some freebies. Other than the free stuff that they get to take home, I hope that they’ll be excited and motivated about the instrument, about the things that they learned and that they’ll put that to good use and work. If they’re students here, they’ll be motivated to practice and be even better players. If they’re high school students, motivated to go back and maybe show some folks that didn’t come the things that they’ve learned just so we can build up really good single reed programs all over the state of Louisiana.”

Kenneth Graves, Principal Clarinet of the Mississippi and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestras played in the faculty performance after teaching a master class as a guest artist for Single Reed Day.
Annie Goodman/The Lion’s Roar