James Stewart: You are a clarinet virtuoso. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Romie De Guise-Langlois: I'm from Montreal. I guess I consider myself as a chamber musician. I do solo too. I do orchestra too, but what I love the most is playing with other people in an intimate setting.
James Stewart: What is it about chamber music that caught your attention? What is it that you love about it?
Romie De Guise-Langlois: For me personally, I do enjoy just as a person to hang out with fewer people. Because I feel the conversations are more interesting and the exchanges are deeper and you have more intimacy.
James Stewart: Can you tell us a little bit about your history with the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival?
Romie De Guise-Langlois: Well, I think I played, maybe it was the second year, but I remember it was sort of like before it all started. It was a very exciting time. The community of people helping out and making the festival possible and basically like, defining what the festival is, is just magical. It's a home, just feels so comfortable and safe, you know. That's like a big deal I think for a musician to go play and feel like, oh I can feel like I can be myself there.
James Stewart: You're playing in the opening concert. You're going to be performing the Mozart "Clarinet Quintet." Can you tell me your history with this piece?
Romie De Guise-Langlois: When you play the clarinet, that's a piece that is just such a pillar of your repertoire. So Mozart made the clarinet a chamber instrument and gave it a place in the orchestra and also made it a solo instrument. I mean, it's just so pivotal the role that he had into the clarinet growth. Every time I play it, I learn more about it and that's with Mozart is you just never stop learning. And I think that's where the richness of the composition is comes through is when musicians don't get bored of it, you know, like, when we're just like, oh yeah, once more, yes, let's do it. It's gonna be different and we'll make something new.
I have small kids at home and you look at how they, they're experts at being in the moment and like forgetting everything else and just noticing what is so exciting or beautiful and making a game out of something out of nothing, you know, and I think Mozart does that.
This art form will really reach people, even if you don't know classical music. And we're people too, come and meet us. There's always a reception after the concert. Let's get to know each other. I think this festival is special in that way, that everyone is part of it.
James Stewart: So what you're saying is you're inviting people to come here you play and then meet you after.
Romie De Guise-Langlois: (Laughter) Yeah.
You can share the music of Mozart with Romie de Guise-Langlois as The Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival opens this weekend with the concert, "Mozart’s Transcendence." That’s happening Sunday, August 17th at 3pm at the Elley-Long Music Center in Colchester. Get your tickets and explore details about the entire festival at LCCMF.org.
Vermont Public Classical will broadcast the opening concert live on-air, so if you can’t make it in person, be sure to tune in at 3pm, this Sunday.
