Glendale Community College alum Sarah Lucas-Page won first prize in the International Clarinet Association (ICA) 2025 Research Competition for her paper, “Reshaping the Stage: Fat Body Politics and the Clarinet Performance World.” Competitors included tenured professors and professional clarinetists from around the world. Her achievement was featured in the December issue of The Clarinet, the official journal of the ICA.
The ICA also invited GCC’s Dr. Stefanie Gardner and her reed quintet, Paradise Winds, to perform the winning work of the 2025 ICA Composition Competition, Cats’ ConunDrum by Arizona composer Karalyn Schubring Bologna, at ClarinetFest 2025—the association’s annual conference—held this past July in Fort Worth, Texas. Paradise Winds commissioned and premiered the award-winning piece and recorded it earlier this year as part of Dr. Gardner’s faculty summer project grant. While attending ClarinetFest, Dr. Gardner also served as an adjudicator for the International Clarinet Association High School Solo Competition.
In addition, the December issue of The Clarinet featured a collaborative article co-authored by Dr. Gardner and the ICA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access Committee titled “Spotlight on Accessibility – Focused Repair Technicians.”
Further highlighting GCC’s impact on clarinet performance and scholarship, current student Alexis Noland attended the Belgian Clarinet Academy and has been accepted into the University of Sheffield’s master’s program in England for Fall 2026. Alexis will study with renowned clarinetist Dr. Sarah Watts, who will also be in residency at GCC as a guest artist in January 2026.