Cottey librarian to perform spring clarinet recital April 9

Courtney Mlinar, assistant director of Cottey's Blanche Skiff Ross Memorial Library, will present a spring clarinet recital on Wednesday, April 9, at 8 p.m. in the Missouri Recital Hall. Also performing will be Cottey professor of music Theresa Spencer, Cottey adjunct assistant professor of dance Jo Byrnes, and guest pianist Paula Niehouse of Avila University.

The concert is free to the public and will feature works by Widor, Weber, Schubert, Poulenc, Cahuzac and Debussy.

Mlinar, a recent Texas transplant, is an accomplished musician. She was a freelance soloist and chamber player as well as sought after teacher and adjudicator. She served as the professor of clarinet at Tarleton State University in Stephenville; a music librarian and woodwind instructor for the Fort Worth Greater Youth Orchestra; and taught clarinet lessons in Birdville ISD until summer 2007. Mlinar has taught clarinet for more than 30 years, leaving a legacy of 37 TMEA All-State clarinetists, and five award-winning Texas band directors. She served as the principal clarinetist for the Metropolitan Winds for seven years, with whom she performed the Krommer Clarinet Concerto in March 2006, arranged especially for her by international acclaimed composer and conductor, Randol Bass. She was the only U.S. competitor selected for the Clarinette Solo de Concours, March 2003, at Ville d'Avray, Paris, France. She played principal clarinet in the Aspen Camerata during the summers from 2004-2006 at the Aspen Music Festival and many of those performances are frequently aired on NPR.

Mlinar was the assistant principal of the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, and principal of the Corpus Christi Wind Symphony for 12 years, recording more than 40 CDs, also aired on NPR. She was the principal clarinetist for the Dallas Wind Symphony under Howard Dunn, and the Plano, Garland, and Richardson Symphony Orchestras.

Mlinar earned her Bachelor of Music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and was a founding member of Perspectives. She has a Master of Music from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, and a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas.

While performing as the principal clarinetist of the TCU Symphony Orchestra, it was granted the honor of the top classical performance in 2002 by the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Mlinar also has performed as a soloist at the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood Institute, Midwest Band Festival, Texas Music Educators Conference, and the College Band Directors National conference.

The Recital Hall is in the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts on the northeast corner of Austin and Tower streets in Nevada.