Interview of John Dorch, principal clarinetist in the Verde Valley Sinfonietta.
How and when did you become interested in music?
I come from a musical family, so I had the run of my dad’s 78 collection. That is where it started even pre-toddler. I would listen to classical recordings and my imagination would run wild. My dad gave me piano lessons (it didn’t take) at an early age so when we went to a Pittsburg Symphony concert and he asked me what pitch the tuning note was, I told him, very matter of factly, that it was “A”. That accelerated the piano lessons and added the violin, neither of which did I take to.
Later, in 4th grade, when the instrumental program started at my elementary school, he asked me what instrument I wanted to play…. I told him the instrument that played the beginning of Tchaikovsky 5th. I had no idea what it even looked like.
Did you practice a lot, John? Who were your teachers?
Practicing was spotty until middle school and I didn’t get serious about it until high school. But I always listened to music a lot and still do. I had private lessons starting in middle school, but not really any accomplished teachers until the end of high school, with Rudy Schmidt, former principal clarinet of San Francisco Symphony under Pierre Monteux…. You can still hear Rudy on some old recordings.
How did you decide to make music a career?
When I won the principal clarinet position in the district honor band and got to play principal clarinet in the local community orchestra (Whittier Symphony), I was hooked. I remember playing Symphony Fantastique and “Nights in the Gardens of Spain” on one concert that year under Henry Lewis, who was an assistant conductor with the LA Phil at the time.
Where did you study?
I went to Cal State Long Beach out of high school, and got to play in the Wind Ensemble under H. Robert Reynolds (who was also one of my conducting teachers). Later I played in the orchestra. I was lucky enough to play in both the band and orchestra when Aaron Copland came to Cal State and played a concert with his works. I also won the Young Artists competition with Long Beach Symphony and played the Stamitz Clarinet Concerto with them. Still later with Long Beach Symphony, I got to play the “Grand Canyon Suite” with Ferde Grofe conducting. Probably one of the last things he did.
I played with a lot of local orchestras when I was in the Los Angeles area. Besides the orchestra at USC (where I studied with Mitchell Lurie), I played with Westside Symphony and San Gabriel Symphony, both fine orchestras. I remember Westside Symphony especially because part of their charter was to play one unknown work each concert. I got to play works like: Ives 1st Symphony, Berwald Symphony Singular, Dvorak 6, Berwald “Divertimento” (which I hope to get Russ to try).
I’ve been lucky to have some great teachers, among them Rudy Schmidt, Mitchell Lurie, Michele Zukovsky and particularly Robert Marcellus, of the Cleveland Orchestra (when Szell was there) who revolutionized my view of music and was a great pedagogical teacher. I remember even when I was at USC, admiring his beautiful tone on the clarinet, so when I graduated from SC, I wrote him a letter asking to study with him. He wrote back and said my best bet was to attend one of his master classes at Northwestern University in Chicago. So I did. I think I learned more about the clarinet in that week then in all my time at SC.
But I wanted closer guidance, so I wrote afterwards and asked to study with him. He wrote back asking me to record a list of orchestral excerpts, which I did. I remember the elation I felt when he called and asked when I wanted to start. Then I started my monthly pilgrimage to Northwestern to study with the “old man”. I’d take the red eye out of LAX and then the bus to Northwestern Sat. morning, and reverse it after the lesson. I did that for 3 years and played twice for his master class. Do you give private lessons?
I am just now (in "retirement”) teaching more private students, which is something I really enjoy and fulfills an obligation to pass on the art. I used to teach at Cal State University, Fullerton and Fullerton College and a few of the local community colleges. I have had a number of students go on in music to successful careers as performers and teachers. I consider it one of my fortes and something I am most proud of. Besides Sinfonietta, do you play in other groups?
I have been in a number of woodwind quintets and started the Thunder Mountain Winds here in Sedona (it is my 6th quintet). We play restaurants, weddings, recitals and have been together for 5 years now. All of us are in the Sinfonietta.
I joined the Sinfonietta in 2009 and have played there ever since. I’ve also played with the Flagstaff and Prescott Pops symphonies.