Building on the tremendous success of the now world renowned Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra, Professor Rhett Bender of Southern Oregon University has created the Cascade Clarinet Consort (CCC). The Consort utilizes the entire family of clarinets from contra-bass to the Eb sopranino. In a collaborative learning environment, SOU Performing Arts students and faculty work together to compose, arrange and perform music unique to the clarinet.  Arrangements and compositions are designed to showcase the facile energy of individuals and the beautiful blend of the clarinet family. This Fall the Cascade Clarinet Consort has teamed-up with new SOU faculty Dr. Jeffrey Richmond.

Jeff Richmond is recognized as a significant voice in modern jazz composition and performance education. Richmond earned his Bachelor of Music degree (magna cum laude) in composition at the University of South Florida-Tampa, where he studied composition with Guggenheim Fellow Chuck Owen and Paul Reller and jazz performance with Tom Brantley, Jay Coble, and Jack Wilkins. He received his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in composition with a cognate in jazz studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied composition with Eric Richards, Randy Snyder, and Tyler White, and jazz performance with Paul Haar, Peter Bouffard, Stefon Harris, and Darryl White.

Richmond’s compositions are published by the University of Northern Colorado’s UNC Jazz Press [Greeley, CO], System Blue Publications [Concord, CA], Row Loff Productions [Nashville, TN], Dorn Publications [Medville, MA], and Walrus Music Publishing [Pismo Beach, CA], with more than 30 works published. Richmond has actively led his own jazz groups, including the Jeff Richmond Jazz Orchestra, a 17 piece big band dedicated to his own compositions. Recordings of this band are available for download on Richmond’s website and scores and parts can be purchased through major music distributors around the country. More recently, Richmond has focused on small group writing.

After listening to the Cascade Clarinet Consort, Dr. Richmond composed Leverage. This term, Richmond conspired with CCC to tailor his composition to match the strengths of the ensemble. The CCC will also perform arrangements by Salem, Oregon composer Mike Curtiss and will be joined by the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra.