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A clarinetist, but also a chef
by Andrew Seguin
 Jose Franch-Ballester is a young clarinetist, but to talk about music he borrows language from an art that is equally sensuous: cooking.
“Imagine the sounds of the kitchen,” Mr. Franch-Ballester said to the Class 8 students he was visiting. “What do you hear?” After a pause, one girl offered up, “Pots and pans clinking.” Another said, “Someone frying something in a pan.” “What about water boiling?” Mr. Franch-Ballester suggested. “How would you describe that sound?” “A rolling, bubbling sound,” was one girl’s description.
“Like this?” he responded, and picked up his clarinet and dove into a medium-slow series of notes that rose and fell in a deep tone, which, if they were water, would have been at a low simmer. “Yes, but faster and more chaotic,” a student responded. “So like this?” he said, and again brought the clarinet to his lips, playing notes that were still full of wetness and grace but now seemed to burst and churn atop lava.
Mr. Franch-Ballester then began playing the full piece he had been alluding to, a composition by American composer Kenji Bunch called “Bubbles,” which refers to boiling water and soda. It was part of his program “Music from the Americas,” which also included a Venezuelan waltz and a flamenco song. The latter was bolstered by two students who were asked to rhythmically clap along with the music.
Mr. Franch-Ballester visited Chapin under the auspices of Young Concert Artists, an organization that manages and arranges bookings for young musicians with the intent of helping them launch their careers. Marsha Ambler ’56 and her husband, Michael Ambler, are supporters of Young Concert Artists, and suggested the visit as a way to initiate contact between the organization and Chapin. Music department head Patricia Norchi invited Mr. Franch-Ballester and his piano accompanist, Nicholas Ong, to her handbells class; the musicians also perform at universities and concert halls throughout the country.
“It was a wonderful recital,” Ms. Norchi said. “Jose was very interactive with the girls.” The girls, in turn, learned that Mr. Franch-Ballester’s ease and élan with the clarinet comes from nearly a lifetime of study. “How long have you been playing?” a student asked. “Since I was 9 years old,” the 26-year-old responded.
“How do you decide what to play?” another girl asked. “Well, it’s like dinner,” Mr. Franch-Ballester said, returning to his preferred analogy. “You have to have the appetizer, the main course and then those little chocolates when you leave,” he added.
“Bubbles,” with its central placement and intensity, was the main course, but Mr. Franch-Ballester had saved something lovely for dessert, too.
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