Antoine's 2016 Conducting Studies

Dear Friends, Family, Students, and Colleagues, 

I kindly ask for your assistance in helping me to advance in fulfilling my dream of becoming the best orchestral conductor that I can be. I hope that you will see, from my service as a musician and through my dedication as a music educator, that my love of music is not a selfish endeavor; rather, it is an endeavor to share joy and beauty with others. 

From an early age, my now deceased father, Carlton O. Clark, Sr., instilled an intense love of music in me. Dad was a self-taught musician who learned to play the guitar at the age of twelve. For over forty years, he served as a music director to many churches in Central Virginia. As a child, I would accompany him to many of his rehearsals and watch him direct ensembles. His lifelong passion for music and life of service has been a real source of inspiration. Many years ago, I decided to follow my father’s example by becoming a professional musician and a music educator. It was one of the best decisions of my life. Whether as a music educator, orchestral clarinetist, or conductor, the chief goal in my career is to serve others. I dedicate myself fully in educating my students and I give my all as a performer.

Columbus, Ohio is a rapidly growing metropolitan city that bolsters many strong arts organizations. Residents of Columbus and neighboring cities have a real love of music and other arts. After graduating from The Ohio State University with a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance, I made a career as an educator, clarinetist, and conductor in the Columbus area. I teach over forty private students as a private music teacher and as an adjunct instructor of music at Kenyon College. I perform in many orchestras in the metropolitan area, which include the Westerville Symphony, the New Albany Symphony, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. For the past three years, I have served as Music Director of the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra. 

Worthington, Ohio is a city that is part of the Columbus metropolitan area. In 2013, I worked with the executive director and board members of the McConnell Arts Center of Worthington to found the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra. In three short years, the orchestra has become a part of the arts fabric in this strong community. I am happy that the orchestra has been able to serve the community through outreach programs. In 2015, the orchestra performed three free concerts to Worthington elementary students. For the last two seasons, the orchestra has collaborated with Women in Music Columbus to provide talented young musicians with an opportunity to solo with the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra. As part of our annual programming, we provide a free summer pops concert to the Worthington Community. I am not only proud of the talented musicians who make up the orchestra but I am also proud of the service that we provide to the Worthington community

The last three years have been financially challenging in pursuing my dream of becoming an orchestral conductor. In 2013, I returned to OSU as a postdoctoral student to study orchestral conducting with Marshall Haddock. In 2014, I began a two-year degree in the Master of Music Orchestral Conducting program. Having already completed three degrees prior to my postdoctoral studies and second masters, I was not eligible for financial aid or any scholarships through OSU. I have paid out of pocket for the last three years of study. In 2015, I was fortunate to be invited to three prestigious conducting workshops and festivals, which were the Pierre Monteux School, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic International Conductor’s Workshop, and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Conducting Workshop. While these opportunities have been tremendously valuable to my growth as a conductor and as a musician, they have also been financially draining. 

In order to continue my dream of reaching the highest level as a conductor, I will again this year be attending conducting workshops, a summer music festival, and an international conducting competition. 

I was recently accepted, as one of eight conductors, into the Fort Wayne Philharmonic International Conductor’s Workshop. In April, I will spend a full week working with Ennio Nicotra, Andrew Constantine, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. At the end of the workshop, I will conduct the Fort Wayne Philharmonic on a concert. In early June, I will travel to the Czech Republic to conduct the Moravian Philharmonic as a participant in the International Conducting Masterclass. I was also accepted to the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians and I will spend six weeks conducting and performing at the school. Lastly, in November, I plan to compete in the Felix Mendelssohn International Conducting Competition in Thessaloniki, Greece. 

Thank you for taking the time to consider my campaign and to offer any financial assistance that can aid me in reaching my goals. 

Sincerely,

Antoine T. Clark
www.antoineclark.com

http://www.mcconnellarts.org/2015/05/05/mcconnell-arts-center-chamber-orchestra/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtLZXDZRGRsoMBBXHNykdg
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Break Down of Expenses:

Fort Wayne International Conductors Workshop
http://www.fwphil.org/pages/v/1211
April 21-27, 2016
- Fee $750

International Conducting Masterclass
Moravian Philarmonic Orchestra-Czech Republic
http://conductingmasterclasses.eu/
June 7-11, 2016
- Fee $1600 Euros (Roughly $1700-1800 US Dollars)
- Flight $1900
- Hotel $160

Pierre Monteux School
http://monteuxschool.org/
June 19-July 31, 2016
- $600 Fee Remaining

Mendelssohn International Conducting Competition
http://www.mendelssohncompetition.com/
November 5-11, 2016
- Fee $376
- Flight $1800
- Hotel $1040

Gofundme Fee Percentage $665

Total $9,000


Hannah Vilas, clarinet, Kenyon College, 1st place winner of the 2015 Knox County Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition  

Megan Kochheiser (5th Chair) and Johnson Gao (8th Chair), 2015 Ohio Music Education Assocation-All State Band
2015 Winter Piano Studio Recital
Clarinet Section of The New Albany Symphony
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 with pianist Pei-Sin Chen, Marshall Haddock-OSU Conducting Professor

Jason Guo, alto saxophone, 1st place winner of the Ohio Muisc Teachers Associate Buckeye Regional and State Competitions. 1st place winner of the Music Teachers National Assocciation State and Regional Competitions. Jason and I will travel to San Antonio, Texas this April so that he can compete in the 2016 Music Teachers National Association Junior Woodwind Finals