Project Director: Marian Liebowitz

Clarinetist Marian Liebowitz, winner of the U.S. State Department/Kennedy Center 1997 Artistic Ambassador Competition, represented the United States in Latin America that year by performing a month-long tour to seven countries. In 1998, Dr. Liebowitz revisited El Salvador where she played five performances as the American representative to the Third Annual Peace Festival. She also traveled to Costa Rica in 1998 and Chile in 1999 as a State Department "Cultural Specialist" in the Business of Music. While in Chile , Dr. Liebowitz performed recitals in Santiago and Valparaiso . Recently, Dr. Liebowitz performed as soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo ( Venezuela ), the California Wind Orchestra (Sacramento), the Tefereth Israel Community Orchestra, the Hutchins Consort, and the SDSU Symphony Orchestra. After returning from a successful tour to Utah , she traveled in 2003 to Central America   accompanied by pianist Richard Thompson to perform in Guatemala City and Antigua . Additional domestic touring has included Oregon , Tennesee, and statewide throughout California . In May 2004 and 2005, Professors Liebowitz and Thompson toured Argentina under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires .

Dr. Liebowitz is one of a small number of wind soloists ever to be selected for the California Arts Council Touring Artists Roster. In past seasons, she performed concertos with the San Diego Symphony, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, the Monteux Orchestra, and the New Mexico Music Festival Orchestra. She is former Principal Clarinetist of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and has appeared in such prestigious festivals as the La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest, the San Luis Obisbo Mozart Festival, the Mainly Mozart Festival, the Sacramento Festival of New American Music, and the Colorado Music Festival. She is former Executive Director and clarinetist of the Arioso Wind Quintet, with whom she recorded 3 cds on the KOCH International label and toured extensively throughout the U.S.

Professor of Music for the School of Music and Dance at San Diego State University, Dr. Liebowitz was named to the campus "Top 25" list for 1999. She was also the recipient of the 2000 CSU Bautzer Faculty Award for excellence in fundraising and development. At SDSU, she teaches studio clarinet, coaches chamber music, and offers "Professional Orientation for Music Performers", a popular seminar for music majors. Dr. Liebowitz also created the SDSU Adams' Project, an innovative professional training program for soloists and small ensembles in music. Under these auspices, students have performed professionally throughout California since 1992 and internationally since 1998. In addition to her arts administration workshops abroad, Dr. Liebowitz has guest lectured on the Business of Music at UC Davis, CSU Sacramento , the University of the Pacific, and community colleges and high schools throughout California . Dr. Liebowitz holds the Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, the Master of Arts from Smith College, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Liebowitz began the SDSU Adams' Project in 1992 in order to offer business training to SDSU performance students while providing the community with high quality programs. Under these auspices, student soloists and ensembles have performed throughout California and beyond while earning money as professional performers. In 1994 she debuted her popular seminar “Professional Orientation for Performers” which addresses more specifically the skills needed to support a performing career. Dr. Liebowitz is one of a small number of wind soloists ever to be selected for the California Arts Council Touring Roster. Her programs, accompanied by piano, include: “Border Crossings,” “Song and Dance for Clarinet and Piano,” “International Ambassador” and “All-American.” Dr. Liebowitz also offers a variety of educational outreach programs, including these inspirational lectures for high school, collegiate or professional audiences:

“Careers in Music: What are the Chances?”

• A discussion of the vast number of music-related career opportunities and what it takes to pursue the right direction.

“Business of Music for Performers: Getting Started”

• This entertaining lecture introduces the basics of ensemble establishment, program selection and marketing techniques.

“Taking Your Show on the Road”

• Using the California Arts Council guidelines, this lecture illustrates the goals of a touring artist or ensemble in the areas of formal and outreach program development, budgeting, marketing, and the acquisition of promotional materials.

“Your Continuing Education”

• A survey of graduate school music programs, summer festivals and competitions, with an emphasis on supplementing credentials to provide increased marketability.

Formal Concerts with Piano

(Click on Underlined Titles for Audio Sample)

When Classical Meets Jazz: Combines the best of both genres and features famous works of Gershwin and Cole Porter.

Border Crossings: The tangos of Piazzolla, the jazz of D'Rivera, and the classical treasures of Latin America.

Educational Outreach Activities

K-9:

Song and Dance for Clarinet and Piano: International song and dance includes audience participation.

9-12 or Collegiate:

Master Classes for Wind Students, Career Lectures for Performers