2021 Symposium Artists

Jasmin Arakawa

Hailed by Gramophone for her ‘characterful sparkle,’ Jasmin Arakawa has performed widely in North America, Central and South America, Europe, China and Japan. A prizewinner of the Jean Françaix International Music Competition, she has been heard at Carnegie Hall, Salle Gaveau in Paris and Victoria Hall in Geneva, as well as in broadcasts of the BBC and Radio France. She has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Philips Symfonie Orkest in Amsterdam, Orquestra Sinfonica de Piracicaba in Brazil, and numerous orchestras in the United States and her native Japan. Other performance highlights include guest artist appearances at the Toronto Summer Festival, Ribadeo International Music Festival in Spain, Bicentenaire de Chopin in Switzerland, Festival de Música de Cámara in Peru, Festival Internacional de Música Erudita de Piracicaba in Brazil, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago and Distinguished Concerts International New York. She is a graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts and holds Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Indiana University, where she studied with Emile Naoumoff, the last protégé of Nadia Boulanger. Jasmin Arakawa is Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Area Coordinator at the University of Florida in Gainesville, as well as Director of the UF International Piano Festival.

Niv Ashkenazi

Virtuoso violinist Niv Ashkenazi has captivated audiences with his heartfelt musicianship and emotional performances. Praised for his “lush sound” and “passionate playing” (CASA Magazine) and “formidable technical powers” (Santa Barbara News-Press), he has made several Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center appearances, and has performed in Europe, the Middle East, and across North America. In the 2019-2020 season, he was the first ever Artist in Residence at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya). His debut album, Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope, recorded at The Soraya, was released in March 2020 on Albany Records and was named one of the best classical recordings of 2020 by the Chicago Tribune. He has performed chamber music with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Juilliard String Quartet, Cavani Quartet, and Ariel Quartet. Niv gave a world premiere at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall as part of VSA’s 25/40 Anniversary Celebration. Concurrently, he was a featured artist with his portrait and personal reflections displayed in the Kennedy Center Hall of States. He has appeared as a soloist with the Culver City Symphony Orchestra and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra among others. Niv holds both a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where his primary teachers were Itzhak Perlman, Glenn Dicterow, Ronald Copes, and Stephen Clapp.

Nanci Belmont

As both an artist and educator, bassoonist Nanci Belmont is driven by the desire to inspire meaningful conversation and relevant musical experiences. A dynamic solo performer, she is the Second Prize winner of the 2016 Gillet-Fox Competition of the International Double Reed Society. Nanci is a member of The City of Tomorrow, a wind quintet with a fearless aesthetic and dedication to the performance and expansion of contemporary repertoire. Nanci has also performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble and Talea Ensemble, and has appeared with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, and Princeton Symphony. From 2012-14 she was a fellow of Ensemble Connect - a Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute, and has taken part in numerous performances in community venues and public schools. Nanci serves on faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and Molloy College.

Andrew Brady

Andrew Brady currently holds the Principal Bassoon chair with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2016. Prior to his engagement with the ASO, Brady served as Principal Bassoon of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to the ensembles mentioned above, Andrew has also performed with groups such as The Los Angeles Opera Company Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Chineke! Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. During the summer season Brady travels extensively for performances and teaching. He regularly participates in festivals such as The Grand Teton Music Festival, Stellenbosch International Music Festival, and National Youth Orchestra USA through Carnegie Hall. Andrew had his first MQVC experience a couple of years ago, and is incredibly excited to be participating again in such an incredibly uplifting event!

Jenni Brandon

Jenni Brandon is an award-winning composer, conductor, and yoga teacher. Based in California, Jenni is passionate about supporting people on their yoga journey. When she is not on her mat, Jenni composes music commissioned, recorded, and performed internationally and enjoys collaborating with musicians.

Marianne Breneman

North Carolina based clarinetist and health coach Marianne Breneman believes that musicians can raise their level of performance and enjoyment of music by following LEAN principles: Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, and Nutrition. Marianne will share the things she wishes she’d known early on in her music career!

Keith Bunke

Keith Buncke began his tenure as Principal Bassoon of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in July 2015, having been appointed by Music Director Riccardo Muti. He previously served as Principal Bassoon with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, a post to which he was appointed in 2014 while still attending the Curtis Institute of Music. He has been a guest artist at the Marlboro, La Jolla, and North Shore Chamber Music festivals, as well as with Chicago Pro Musica and Chicago Chamber Musicians. In addition to being adjunct faculty at DePaul University, he has guest taught at numerous schools and festivals including Aspen and Interlochen Arts Camp.

Andrew Burn

Andrew isn’t one to take the beaten path. A performer, composer, and rugby referee, his work has taken him to over 50 destinations in 18 countries. A card-carrying Early Musician, Andrew advocates the reintroduction of ancient principles of performance to today’s concert setting. Not only does he perform on historical instruments, he hopes to encourage the idea that those instruments stand next to their modern counterparts as ‘rediscovered’ equals, rather than as inferior species. Living in Basel, Switzerland, Andrew performs internationally. He is a regular performer with the ensembles Musica Fiorita (Basel), Svapinga Consort (Munich), Il Gusto Barocco (Stuttgart), and Accademia Barocca Lucernensis (Luzern). He is a leading member of NewBO, and directs the ensembles Our Very Own (Ottawa), and Primary Colours (Basel). From 2013-2015, Andrew was the solo bassoonist of the European Union Baroque Orchestra. During that time the orchestra performed over 50 concerts from London to Istanbul, Malta to Stockholm. Andrew has performed for radio in over 15 countries, and can be heard on the ATMA, Pan Classics, Obsidian, and ACCENT labels. Andrew has studied with some of the world’s most recognized historical bassoonists including Donna Agrell, Mathieu Lussier, Dominic Teresi, and Keith Collins, and holds graduate degrees from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.

Jefferson Campbell

Considered an international performer and pedagogue of high demand, Jefferson Campbell has performed on stages throughout the United States and the world. With a focus on music that appeals to all audiences, Dr. Campbell has commissioned and premiered over 20 new works for the bassoon in recent years and has been featured on four compact disc recordings including Pocket Grooves, the Grammy semifinalist Nostalgia, and online videos with tens of thousands of views. Campbell has presented master classes in China, France, Brazil, Russia, and at universities, conservatories, and double reed events throughout the United States. He has performed as a recital soloist in Florida, California, Colorado, Kentucky, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Nebraska, Minnesota and also Germany, France, Brazil, Russia and China. Dr. Campbell is a member of the International Double Reed Society, has been published in the Double Reed, and has performed and presented at the International Double Reed Society Annual Conferences in 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2015. Dr. Campbell serves frequently as adjudicator for national and international competitions. He holds degrees from Western Kentucky University, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the University of Nebraska. Dr. Campbell is Professor of Bassoon and Interim Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Catherine Carignan

Canadian bassoonist Catherine Carignan started to study music as a child, beginning with recorder, piano, choir singing and violin, moving on to the bassoon when she switched schools at age 12. She studied at the Montreal Conservatory, McGill University and Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music with Michel Bettez, Mathieu Harel and Nadina Mackie-Jackson and participated in masterclasses and festivals in Canada, the United States and Germany. She was an active freelancer in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg before joining the Victoria Symphony as Second Bassoon, in British Columbia, in 2007. A year later, she moved to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, upon winning the Principal Bassoon position in the recently created Minas Gerais Philharmonic. Catherine has appeared several times as soloist with this orchestra, taught at the Minas Gerais Federal University as substitute teacher from 2013 to 2014 and is a regular guest teacher and performer in universities and double-reed events across Brazil. She is a board member of the Brazilian Double Reeds Association since 2018 and is currently enrolled in a master’s degree at Bahia Federal University, where she researches works for bassoon written by Brazilian women. She has two Brazil-born daughters who adore the snow at grandpa and grandma’s home in Quebec and know very little about Canadian mosquitoes so far.

Catherine Chen

Catherine Chen joined the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bassoon in 2017 at the age of 24. Prior to her appointment with the Milwaukee Symphony, she won the Associate Principal Bassoon position with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the age of 22. While in her senior year studying at the Curtis Institute of Music, she held the Principal Bassoon position with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. Chen has performed with numerous orchestras across the country including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, and Richmond Symphony. Catherine has worked under such world-renowned conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Andris Nelsons, Fabio Luisi, Lorin Maazel, Edo de Waart, Stéphane Denève, and Osmo Vänskä, among many others. As a soloist, Chen appears regularly with the Milwaukee Symphony and is recognized for her “elegant, buttery tone“ (The Shepherd Express). Chen has also had solo engagements with The Philadelphia Orchestra, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, and the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Orchestra. During her summers, Chen has participated at prestigious music festivals such as Marlboro Music School and Festival, Music from Angel Fire by invitation of violinist Ida Kavafian, Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, and Pacific Music Festival.

Jan Corrothers

Jan Corrothers is a collaborative pianist and organist based in the Greater Nashville area where she serves as Staff Accompanist for the Music Department of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Jan performs as accompanist for choral conventions, workshops, festivals, recitals, and reading sessions across the United States and abroad. Previously, Jan served as Staff Accompanist and Adjunct Faculty member at Xavier University, Northern Kentucky University, Alderson Broaddus University, Marietta College, Ohio University, and as Principal Accompanist of the Cincinnati Youth Choir, in residence at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. Freelance performing opportunities include serving as Guest Collaborative Artist at Anderson University with Jessica Rivera Shafer, Soprano (2015), choral festival pianist with the Cincinnati Youth Choir in Carnegie Hall, All State Chorus accompanist in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida, as well as ACDA Regional and National honor choir accompanist. Jan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organ Performance and Church Music from Alderson Broaddus University, where she received the 2008 Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from Shenandoah University, where she was awarded a graduate assistantship as pianist for the opera program.

Alexander Davis

Alexander Davis is a New York City based freelance bassoonist who has performed with orchestras and series such as Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, CityMusic Cleveland, Symphony in C, The North Country Chamber Players, Brooklyn Orchestra, Martha Graham's Dance Company, Rob Kapilow's What Makes Music Great, Bach and Beyond Festival, and Western New York Chamber Orchestra. He has performed in summer festivals such as Tanglewood, Banff Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Maine Chamber Music Seminar, and Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival. In addition to performing, Alexander has had an extensive career in both teaching and outreach. He has taught and held artist residencies at the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, NY School for Orchestral Studies, SUNY Fredonia, College of the Holy Cross, Snow Pond Chamber Music Intensive, Connecticut Summerfest, and is a teaching artist at The Park Avenue Armory. Alexander holds a Bachelor Degree in Music Education and Performance from SUNY Fredonia, a Master in Performance from Stony Brook University, a Performers Certificate in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music at Stony Brook University. He studied with bassoonists Abraham Weiss, Laura Koepke, Frank Morelli, Bob Williams, and Michael Ma.

Nick Davies

Nick Davies is a clarinetist and composer who enjoys a diverse career as a freelance musician. Currently, he splits his time between Indianapolis and Los Angeles, holding the Second/E-flat Clarinet position with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and performing with California-based ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Santa Barbara Symphony. Additionally, he travels frequently as a fellow with the Louis Moreau Institute and a substitute with the New World Symphony. As an active soloist, Nick recently performed Frank Ticheli’s Clarinet Concerto alongside the composer, and has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Antelope Valley Symphony, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and the USC Wind Ensemble. Other honors include taking First Place in the Pasadena Showcase Competition, and Third Place in Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Mr. Davies has a strong interest in contemporary music and has held past fellowships with Ensemble Modern’s Klangspuren Schwaz, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and Spoleto Festival USA. As a composer, his commissions include those from the Houston Grand Opera, Midic Winds, Eureka Ensemble, Webster Trio, and the Chicago Harp Quartet. Nick is the artistic director and founder of the Rossini Club, a chamber music organization based in Nantucket, Massachusetts, which is hosting its eighth season this year. He holds degrees from Rice University and the University of Southern California.

Michael Davis

Michael Davis is an Associate Musician with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has performed as a substitute with the Met since 2010, serving four seasons as Acting Second Bassoon during that time. Previously he was Associate Principal Bassoon and Contrabassoon of the Kansas City Symphony for a decade. Since 2003 Michael has also been Contrabassoonist of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago.

Sophie Dervaux

Sophie Dervaux joined the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra as Principal Bassoon in 2015. Previously, she was Principal Contrabassoon of the Berlin Philharmonic. Prizewinner of competitions which include the international ARD Competition Munich and the Beethoven-Ring Bonn, Sophie has performed as soloist with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, the chamber Orchestras of Munich and Vienna, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Orchestre National de Lyon and has performed in the major concert halls of the world, including the Vienna Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Paris Philharmonie, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Royal Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York. As a chamber musician, she performs with renowned musicians such as Daniel Barenboim, Emmanuel Pahud, Albrecht Mayer, Fabian Müller. In 2020 she recorded the Beethoven Trio with Daniel Barenboim and Emmanuel Pahud in the Boulez-Saal in Berlin. She teaches at the University of Music and Arts of Vienna (MUK). Sophie Dervaux is a Püchner Bassoon Artist. Born in 1991 in the Paris suburb of Clamart, Sophie Dervaux first studied guitar and clarinet, and started playing the bassoon in 2003. She continued her studies at the National Conservatory of Music in Lyon, France, at the Hochschule für Musik “Hans Eisler” and the Karajan Academy in Berlin. Sophie Dervaux’s teachers include Carlo Colombo, Jean Pignoly, Volker Tessmann and Daniele Damiano.

Glenn Einschlag

Principal Bassoonist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra since 1999, Glenn Einschlag has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Mr. Einschlag has performed concerti with the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Erie Chamber Orchestra, among others. Mr. Einschlag has participated in the Aspen, Tanglewood, Spoleto (USA), and Domaine Forget (Canada) festivals. He can be heard on the Beau Fleuve, Naxos, and EMI recording labels. Mr. Einschlag teaches at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto and SUNY at Buffalo. He has presented masterclasses at the Colburn Conservatory, the University of Michigan, the Eastman School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and Rice University, among others. Educated at the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, and Rice University, he has studied with Harold Goltzer, Marc Goldberg, Bernard Garfield, William Winstead, Norman Herzberg, and Ben Kamins.

Monica Ellis

Bassoonist Monica Ellis is a founding member of the revolutionary, Grammy nominated wind quintet, Imani Winds, who is in their 24th season. A natural entrepreneur, she is the administrative director & tour manager for Imani Winds, Co-Artistic Director for the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, and board member/treasurer for the Imani Winds Foundation. Monica studied with Mark Pancerev, of the Pittsburgh Symphony and received her Bachelor of Music from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, studying with George Sakakeeny, her Master of Music from the Juilliard School and Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music, studying with Frank Morelli at both institutions. Recording credits include seven albums with Imani Winds as well as numerous other recording projects with artists such as Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, the Perspectives Ensemble and Jeff Scott. Ms. Ellis is on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music, and has taught at the University of Chicago, the Hartt School (Connecticut), Purchase (New York) & Brooklyn College Conservatories of Music. She serves on the advisory boards for Orchestra of St. Luke’s Education Committee, Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, IDRS Commissioning Committee, and is a member of the Board of Concert Artists Guild (CAG). Imani Winds is excited to release its 8th studio recording on February 5, 2021 entitled BRUITS.

Sasha Gee Enegren

Bassoonist Sasha Enegren is Assistant Professor, Woodwind Coordinator, and a member of the Montclair Woodwind Quintet, a faculty ensemble that mentors young chamber musicians through a professional residency program. Dr. Enegren is also a member of the Quintet of the Americas, a woodwind quintet focusing on music from South, Central, and North America. She has performed numerous concertos as a soloist with orchestras and premiered new compositions by local composers. She has been a member of the Savannah Philharmonic since 2010 and freelances extensively in the NY/NJ area. Committed to community engagement, Sasha volunteers in local schools where she gives group and individual music lessons to students of all ages. She has also played for the New York Philharmonic’s “Very Young People’s Concerts.” She has worked in the Center for Music Entrepreneurship at Manhattan School of Music and implements career guidance skills into her teaching. At Manhattan School of Music, she earned her master’s degree in orchestral performance and was honored as the outstanding graduate from their doctoral program. She has also studied at Mannes College of Music and Wake Forest University. She has published in the journals of the International Double Reed Society and the International Alliance for Women in Music.

Judith Farmer

2016 GRAMMY® nominee Judith Farmer is former Principal Bassoon of the Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Camerata Academica Salzburg under Sandor Vegh. Critics have described her playing as “impeccable” (American Record Guide), “masterly” (Fanfare) and “brilliant” (Kronenzeitung, Austria). She has appeared as a soloist at the Salzburg Festival and has participated in chamber music festivals in Prussia Cove (UK), Martha’s Vineyard, MA and La Jolla, California. Since moving to Los Angeles Ms. Farmer has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, also as guest Associate Principal. She has played on more than 200 motion picture scores and has recorded with artists such as Daft Punk, Josh Groban, Billy Childs, Barbra Streisand and Neil Young. Judith is currently a member of the Los Angeles Opera and the Pasadena Symphony Orchestras. She teaches bassoon and chamber music at the University of Southern California.

Darrel Hale

Darrel Hale is the Associate Professor of Bassoon at Louisiana State University and the Principal Bassoonist of the Baton Rouge Symphony. An active performer, Mr. Hale has also served as Principal Bassoon of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and as the Acting Principal Bassoon of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Chamber Players, and Louisiana Philharmonic. As a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, Mr. Hale performed as part of the Aspen Academy of Conducting Orchestra and for several summers in the Aspen Festival Orchestra alongside his teacher and mentor, Per Hannevold. A passionate chamber musician, Darrel Hale performs with the Timm Woodwind Quintet, and Time Becomes Space. His major teachers include Dr. Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, Per Hannevold, and William Winstead.

Ashley Haney

Ashley Haney, is Principal Bassoon in the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (OSUANL) in Monterrey, Mexico. She joined the OSUANL in 2012 as Second Bassoon, then performed as Assistant Principal and Contrabassoon from 2015-2018, and has held the Principal Bassoon position since 2018. Ashley has performed as a soloist with the OSUANL, the Orquesta de Cámara de la UANL, and the Consort Orchestra. She regularly participates in music festivals such as Festival Alfonsino, Festival Internacional de Santa Lucía, Paranassós Piano Festival, and Festival Internacional Cervantino. Haney has shared the stage with musical greats such as Andrea Bocelli, Heather Headley, Fernando de la Mora, Rafael, Leonel García, Nortec, Mago de Oz, and Mariachi Vargas. She has performed in some of the world’s most iconic performance venues such as Palacio Bellas Artes, Sala Nezahualcóyotl, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House. She is the Bassoon Professor at the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza Monterrey, and because of her passion for teaching, she has grown the bassoon studio in size and in level since 2015. Her students have won prizes at the National level in Mexico. Dr. Haney holds a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, and a Master of Music and Doctorate from the University of Illinois. Her teachers include Timothy McGovern, Jeffrey Lyman, and Albie Micklich.

Julia Harguindey

Argentinian-born Julia Harguindey joined the Nashville Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera as Principal Bassoon at the beginning of the 2016 season. Julia has performed regularly with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival as well as guest Principal Bassoon with Les Violons du Roy (Québec), Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony. She has also played with the Métropolitain Orchestra and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra. Julia is the first-prize winner at the 2015 Prix d’Europe Woodwind Category, second-prize winner at the 2014 OSM Standard Life Competition, and a recipient of the 2012 and 2014 Sylva Gelber Foundation career grant. After arriving in Montréal, Canada in 1991, Julia studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal and subsequently at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her teachers have included Daniel Matsukawa and Mathieu Harel.

Yoon Joo Hwang

Yoon Joo Hwang, Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Central Florida, has taught and performed throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. She has been invited to present master classes at Yonsei University, China Central Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Academy, the Shenzhen Art School, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Hwang was invited to present a lecture entitled “Finding Our Voices as Women” in March of 2019 at the Research Institute of Asian Women at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Hwang has presented scholarly research at meetings of the National College Music Society and has been selected to perform at the annual conferences of the International Double Reed Society. Dr. Hwang has adjudicated the Florida Music Teachers National Association competition and she serves as a Junior Competition Coordinator for the Florida MTNA competition. Dr. Hwang was appointed to serve as a Vice President (Korea) on the Executive Board of the Asian Double Reed Association, an organization devoted to bringing together double reed performers and teachers from throughout Asia.

Eric Huebner

Eric Huebner is Associate Professor of Music at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) where he maintains a studio of graduate and undergraduate piano majors and minors and teaches courses in 20th century piano music and piano literature. Since the fall of 2014, he has been a member of the adjunct faculty of the Juilliard School where he teaches a course in orchestral keyboard performance. A recent solo release on New Focus Recordings features Huebner in works by György Ligeti. Mr. Huebner holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music from the Juilliard School where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal.

Megan Inhen 

Megan Ihnen is a “new music force of nature.” Her performances thrive on elaborate sound worlds and fully-developed dramatic interpretations. A gifted narrative and non-narrative musical storyteller, Megan’s performance work explores the depths of memory, nostalgia, the perception of time, and complex relationships. Passionate about contemporary chamber music and opera, Megan has worked with individuals and ensembles around the globe including: International Contemporary Ensemble, Fifth House Ensemble, Great Noise Ensemble, Rhymes With Opera, and Synchromy. She is deeply committed to the belief that new music should be performed and loved in communities of all sizes. She has recently traveled to and performed on SPLICE Festival, Oh My Ears, ÆPEX Contemporary Performance, Detroit New Music “Strange Beautiful Music Marathon”, Omaha Under the Radar Festival, Works and Process at the Guggenheim Series, and New Music Gathering. Learn more about Megan at meganihnen.com.

Kristin Wolfe Jensen

“...She has simply turned in the finest-played bassoon recital I have ever heard”, said the American Record Guide about Kristin Wolfe Jensen’s CD, Shadings. Ms. Jensen is Professor of Bassoon at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, and is also on the faculty at the International Festival Institute at Round Top, Principal Bassoon with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Founding Director of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and creator of MusicandtheBassoon.org. In addition to Shadings, she has a number of other critically acclaimed solo and chamber music recordings, many of which are now available on her Youtube channel, as is her tutorial series, The Herzberg/Kamins Reed Making Method. She has given guest recitals and masterclasses at many major American music schools, as well as in South America and Europe, and her former UT students hold major orchestral and university faculty positions.

Dana Jessen

Praised for her diverse talents, bassoonist Dana Jessen is in high demand as a soloist, chamber musician, improviser and new music specialist. Dana is the co-founder of Splinter Reeds, a contemporary reed quintet, and has performed with the SF Contemporary Music Players, Alarm Will Sound, Amsterdam’s DOEK Collective, Ensemble Dal Niente, the Tri-Centric Orchestra, Calefax Quintet, and Pamela Z, among others. As an improviser, she has performed and collaborated with numerous creative musicians throughout Europe and North America. Her tireless commitment to expand the modern bassoon repertoire through collaborations with composers from around the globe has led to numerous new solo, chamber, and electroacoustic works. Notably, Dana led the commission of Rushes, an hour-long composition for seven bassoons by composer and Bang On a Can co-founder, Michael Gordon. She recently had the honor of collaborating with acclaimed composer and AACM member, George Lewis, on a new solo work for bassoon and electronics. Dana is an Associate Professor of Contemporary Music & Improvisation, and the Director of Professional Development at the Oberlin Conservatory. She holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and the Artez Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in the Netherlands. Dana lived in Amsterdam for three years as the recipient of the Huygens Fellowship and the J. William Fulbright Fellowship.

Francisco Joubert

Francisco is currently the Second Bassoon of the Louisville Orchestra. Originally from Puerto Rico, Mr. Joubert Bernard completed his Bachelor of Music  in the “Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico” studying with the Principal Bassoon of the OSPR Adam Havrilla and has a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music studying with Frank Morelli. Before joining the Louisville Orchestra Mr. Joubert Bernard was a fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Florida where he performed with renowned artists around the world including a solo performance for the famous film composer John Williams. In addition to his interests in classical music, Mr. Joubert Bernard is also interested in other music genres; expanding the role of the bassoon in music through the alias VG Bassoonist.

Benjamin Kamins

Ben Kamins is the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Bassoon at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He was Principal Bassoon of the Houston Symphony for 22 years and Associate Principal of the Minnesota Orchestra for 9. He has been a guest principal of the Pittsburgh and Boston Symphonies and the Los Angeles and NewYork Philharmonics. Ben studied in his native Los Angeles with Norman Herzberg from the age of 13 until he entered the Minnesota Orchestra at 19. Along with having extensive chamber and solo experience, including recording the Mozart Concerto for Bassoon in Bb, K.191 with the Houston Symphony, he was a founding member of two wind quintets and the Houston Symphony Chamber Players. He plays baroque bassoon and has played in several of Houston’s leading period ensembles. Ben Kamins is a certified Alexander Technique teacher and currently teaches it at Rice with his wife Janet Rarick. He has given lessons and classes in bassoon and the Alexander Technique throughout North America including the Music Academy of the West, Tanglewood, Aspen and Interlochen. Ben is a devoted teacher who feels incredibly fortunate to be able to work with so many bright and talented young people.

Galit Kaunitz

Galit Kaunitz is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Southern Mississippi, joining the faculty in 2015. She is an engaged and inventive performer, presenting chamber music and solo programs that feature both new commissions and traditional works. As a member of Driftless Winds reed trio, she was invited to perform at the International Double Reed Society (Columbus, Georgia) and College Music Society Conferences (Santa Fe, New Mexico). Galit also performs throughout the United States with Category 5 wind quintet, Magnolia Reed Trio, and Rintrah Duo with tenor Jonathan Yarrington. As a soloist, Galit gives recitals that explore culture and identity, and appeared as a soloist with the USM Symphony Orchestra in 2016 and Symphonic Winds in 2019. Along with bassoonist Jacqueline Wilson, Galit is co-creator and host of Double Reed Dish, a podcast created specifically for oboists and bassoonists of all ages and abilities.

Leah Kohn

Leah Kohn is a versatile musician with a passion for unusual repertoire. She has performed with a number of ensembles around Los Angeles, and has recorded for film and television. Dyad, her duo with violinist Niv Ashkenazi, has performed on concert series throughout California and on the East Coast, and also works with Street Symphony, an organization that brings music to underserved communities. She was a fellow at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and has performed at the Lake George Music Festival and programs at the Banff Centre. Dr. Kohn received her Doctorate of Musican Arts from the University of Southern California as a student of Judith Farmer, with focuses in musicology, arts leadership, and early music. She holds a Master of Music from the Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, both as a student of Frank Morelli, and studied baroque bassoon with Dominic Teresi. As an educator, she maintains a private teaching studio in Los Angeles, as well as coaching for several youth orchestras. She is the director of the Los Angeles and Conejo Valley/San Fernando Valley branches of Junior Chamber Music. She produced the album Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope, the first solo album recorded on one of the Violins of Hope, a collection of instruments that have survived the Holocaust and been restored.

Nicolasa Kuster

Bassoonist Nicolasa Kuster joined the faculty of University of the Pacific's Conservatory of Music in Stockton, California, in the fall of 2008, and became Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in 2019. She has balanced her full-time teaching position with a rich orchestral, chamber, and solo performing life around northern California and beyond. Kuster co-launched and continues to collaboratively lead the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Bassoon Symposium. Kuster is Principal Bassoon of the Stockton Symphony and New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestras, Second Bassoon of the Monterey Symphony, and performs on occasion with the San Francisco and San Diego Symphonies. Previous positions include the Wichita Symphony (also serving on the faculty of Wichita State University), the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Virginia Symphony. She has enjoyed teaching and performing at many summer festivals and camps. Her solo appearances with orchestra include performing Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Bassoon Concerto at the International Double Reed Society in 2013 and Peter Schickele's Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra with the Stockton Symphony in 2015. She is a double degree graduate from Oberlin College and Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion. Her solo album, Metamorphosis, can be found online.

Kara LaMoure

Kara LaMoure is bassoonist with the wind quintet WindSync, known for their dramatic performance style, innovative collaborations, broad educational work, and international-level prizes in chamber music performance. With WindSync, she has performed at venues including Ravinia, Strathmore, and the Grand Teton Music Festival, and she has served as a visiting artist at the University of Texas, Northwestern University, and New World Symphony. On the lighter side of chamber music, Kara also performs regularly as a founding member of the Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet. An Orchestra of the Americas alumna, she takes special interest in global youth orchestra movements and has served as a coach for youth orchestras in Switzerland, Honduras, Mexico, and Brazil. As an orchestral musician, Kara performed previously with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and she can be heard on the original soundtrack to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. She is also a prolific arranger of music for chamber winds. Kara earned degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with John Hunt, and Northwestern University, where she studied with Chris Millard. A Texan, Kara grew up in Dallas and currently resides in Houston.

Judith LeClair

Judith LeClair joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Bassoon in 1981 at the age of 23. During her almost 40 year tenure, she has made more than 60 solo performances with them. Previously she served as Principal Bassoon of the San Diego Symphony and Opera Orchestras. Active as a chamber musician, she has performed with leading artists and has participated in festivals and venues across the country. Every summer she gives a weeklong master class and solo recital at the Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley, California. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, she was a student of K.D. Van Hoesen. In 1995, Miss LeClair premiered The Five Sacred Trees, a concerto written for her by John Williams, with the New York Philharmonic. She performed it with the San Francisco Symphony and London's Royal Academy Orchestra and recorded it with the London Symphony Orchestra for Sony Records. Other recordings include her solo New York Legends for Cala Records and Works for Bassoon, released in 2010. Miss LeClair is on the faculties of the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music.

Stéphane Lévesque

Principal Bassoon of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal since 1998, Stéphane Lévesque still feels incredibly lucky to this day to have won a position in his hometown orchestra. He has also held principal and guest principal positions with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Saito Kinen Orchestra and Mito Chamber Orchestra in Japan. Mr Lévesque was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach from 1995 to 1997, and he took part in the Solti Orchestral Project at Carnegie Hall in 1994. Assistant Professor at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Mr Lévesque also coordinates and teaches at the Orford Winds summer workshop. He has given masterclasses throughout the world, including at Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, the UNAM in Mexico City, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon, France, the Hautes Écoles de Musique in Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Conservatoriums in Adelaide and Sydney, Australia. A graduate of the Yale University School of Music and the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, Mr Lévesque studied with Stephen Maxym, Frank Morelli, and Rodolfo Masella.

Gabrielle Liriano

Gabrielle Liriano is a composer, songwriter, bassoonist, and teacher. She has played in a variety of settings including traditional orchestras, film scoring sessions, a flamenco group, and a contemporary jazz pop band. Her pieces have been performed by Penn Flutes at the University of Pennsylvania, the Symphonic Winds at Berklee College of Music, the Composition Faculty at Berklee College of Music and more. She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and has her Bachelor of Music in Music Composition with minors in Conducting, Musical Theater Writing, and Songwriting. She is currently studying for her Masters of Arts in Music Composition at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University.

Shannon Lowe

Shannon Lowe is Assistant Professor of Bassoon and Aural Skills at the University of Florida. Before her arrival at UF, Dt. Lowe served as Associate Professor of Bassoon in the Department of Music at Valdosta State University. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Bassoon Performance at SUNY Stony Brook, where she studied with the renowned performer and pedagogue Dr. Frank Morelli. She received her Bachelor of Music Education with a Performer's Certificate as well as her Master of Music in Bassoon Performance degree from the University of Florida, under Dr. Arnold Irchai and Dr. Kim Woolly.

The LuftBassoons

The LuftBassoons is a Tucson based band of bassoonists on a mission to bring the magic of the bassoon everywhere and anywhere. Classical, pop, contemporary.. no music is left unexplored by this band of four individuals sharing one common goal of playing great music, of all genres on the best instrument ever made: The Bassoon. Since its inception, the LuftBassoons Quartet (LBQ) has been committed to expanding the repertoire and audience reach of the traditional bassoon quartet. LBQ began a residency with BC Dance Company of Tucson in 2014, made their international debut at the 2016 Festival Alfonso Ortiz Tirado (FAOT) in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, and that same year they also premiered La República del Agua (Relato Sonoro para 4 Fagotes), composed for them by Mexican bassoonist Juan Carlos Villaseñor. The LuftBassoons returned to Mexico in November of 2017 to perform at the Inaugural Festival Arenál for Contemporary Music in Hermosillo and were featured guest artists for Bassoon Week at TAMUCC in February of 2019. The LuftBassoons is composed of bassoonists Juan José Arévalo, Cassandra Bendickson, Brenda Willer Buys, and Daniel Hursey, all living and working in Tucson, Arizona. Their most current project is the premiere of six new commissioned works written specifically for them thanks to a grant from the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Jeffrey Lyman

Jeffrey Lyman, Professor of Bassoon at the University of Michigan, has established himself as one of the premier performers, teachers, and historians of the bassoon in the United States. In addition to his varied career as a player, he is well known as an author and has published articles, recordings and web pages on bassoon music from the former Soviet Union, Mexico, France and the United States. His studies on the great woodwind pedagogues of the 19th century have culminated in several releases collected as the Jeffrey Lyman Edition from TrevCo Music Publishing, including the first complete English translation of the Nouvelle Méthode de Basson by Etienne Ozi. The University of Michigan Bassoon Studio YouTube channel offers more than 200 videos of Lyman and his students, one of the largest collections of live and studio bassoon recordings on the internet. He has penned articles for the International Double Reed Society Journal on a wide range of topics, including textual issues in the music of Stravinsky and Canteloube, the morceaux de concours from the Paris Conservatoire, and the career of bassoonist & winemaker Gerard Faisandier.

Kate MacKenzie

Kate MacKenzie is a music instructor to students of all ages. She is strongly committed to the integration of scholarship, research, pedagogy and performance. She also works as a freelance bassoonist performing with orchestral and chamber ensembles in Seattle, Washington and worldwide. Dr. MacKenzie has held teaching positions with the Andrew White School of Music (Assistant Director/Instructor of Double Reeds) and Glendale Community College (Instructor of Bassoon). She is also a sought-after presenter on topics surrounding performance anxiety and gender. She received a Doctorate in Musical Arts from Arizona State University, a Master of Music from Miami University of Ohio, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of California, Davis. Her teachers include Dr. Albie Micklich, Dr. Christin Schillinger, David Granger, and David Seidel.

Nadina Mackie Jackson

Solo bassoonist Nadina Mackie Jackson is the most widely recorded Canadian bassoonist in history with 13 solo albums, 8 chamber music recordings, and dozens of albums with symphony, chamber, and historical instrument orchestras. Eighteen new works for solo bassoon and orchestra have been written for her by Canadian and American composers. She continually participates in commissioning new music and the next concerto written for Nadina will be by Augusta Read Thomas, commissioned by the wind ensemble of the State University of New York at Fredonia. Recent solo recordings released to great reviews include Vivaldi Concerti Volume I with Nicholas McGegan and the Juno short-listed Canadian Concerto Project. Performing with other virtuoso musicians, orchestras and folk-legend Valdy, Nadina has toured extensively across Canada, the United States, to Europe and Japan. Nadina has taught at the University of Toronto, the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the State University of New York at Fredonia and at McGill University. Nadina is the founder and president of the Council of Canadian Bassoonists and the author of Solitary Refinement, Chromatics, Chords and Scales, Concepts for the Committed Bassoonist published by Friesen Press. Nadina plays a 15,000 series Heckel and a spanking new blue Bell.

Alex Meaux

Originally from Port Neches Texas, Alex Meaux is currently a private lesson teacher in NorthEast Dallas. Additionally he is pursuing a doctorate in bassoon performance from the University of North Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master of Bassoon Performance from Bowling Green State University. As a performer he has worked with several orchestras including the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, South Arkansas Symphony, and Richardson Symphony. Expressing fondness for chamber music, Alex has embarked on several projects. In 2015 he was a finalist in the Douglas Wayland Chamber Music Competition. In 2016 and 2017 he toured the American Midwest with Noise to Signal Ensemble as a founding member. He has also participated in several festivals internationally in Germany, Italy, and the United States. During his masters and doctorate studies, Alex was an avid teacher of chamber music and reed making. As an advocate for better early education, he works with many Texas public schools to empower band directors with bassoon pedagogy. Alex enjoys actively working with the Dallas based Bocal Majority Camps as an instructor of reed making and chamber music. His primary teachers are Kathleen Reynolds, Susan Nelson, Jeremy Fain, and Jorge Cruz.

 Christopher Millard

Christopher Millard, one of Canada’s best known woodwind artists, joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as Principal Bassoon in 2004 after serving with the Vancouver Symphony and the CBC Radio Orchestra for 28 years. He is also Principal Bassoon for the Grand Teton Music Festival and has made five concert tours with Valery Gergiev and the World Orchestra for Peace. A distinguished teacher, Mr. Millard served on the faculty of Northwestern University until 2014, and continues to give masterclasses at many of the foremost music schools: Curtis Institute, New World Symphony, Manhattan School, Rice University, Indiana University, the National Orchestral Institute as well as in Canada at Domaine Forget. For 20 years, Mr. Millard was the bassoon professor for the National Youth Orchestra where he helped nurture a new generation of Canadian wind players. His students now occupy numerous positions in American and Canadian orchestras. A student of Roland Small and the legendary Sol Schoenbach at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, Mr. Millard also studied with the great French flutist Marcel Moyse. A regular guest artist and teacher at the Scotia, Banff, Orford and Ottawa Chamber Music Festivals, Mr. Millard has also appeared in concert and recordings with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Marlboro Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the International Double Reed Society and as a soloist with numerous orchestras.

 Kayoko Miyazawa

Pianist Kayoko Miyazawa, born in Tokyo, Japan, completed her pre-college studies at the Beijing Central Conservatory where she studied with YaMeng Huang. She came to the United States in 2011 to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she gained her Bachelor of Music degree studying with Paul Schenly and Daniel Shapiro and Master of Music in Collaborative Piano studying with Anita Pontremoli and Joela Jones. During her time at CIM, she was enrolled in both the Intensive Duo program and the Advanced Piano Trio chamber music program where she was coached by Sharon Robinson, Jaime Laredo, the Cavani Quartet, and the second violinist of the Cleveland Quartet Peter Salaff. Kayoko is currently continuing her collaborative piano studies at the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theater and Dance under the guidance of Martin Katz.

Gina Moore

Gina Moore (she/her) is a bassoonist, educator, and diversity advocate. She completed her Master of Music with Dr. Eric Stomberg at the University of Kansas and her Bachelor of Music in Music Education at James Madison University with Dr. Susan Barber. As an active advocate for more inclusive community music making spaces, Ms. Moore is a founding member of JMUke, an organization focused on creating inclusive spaces for community music making through learn and jam workshops throughout the JMU and Harrisonburg, VA communities. This work continued in her masters at KU, where she served as a liaison between the general student body and the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Committee for the KU School of Music. There, she created and implemented strategies for the establishment and creation of more inclusive music spaces for students on and off campus. Ms. Moore currently teaches double reeds in the Greater Dallas/Ft. Worth area and runs a variety of diversity advocacy projects. Her current projects include commissions for works by Black women, outreach studios that provided double reed education for low income students in the Greater Dallas Ft. Worth area, and an R&B/Gospel/Hip-Hop inspired bassoon method.

Frank Morelli

Frank Morelli, bassoon soloist, chamber musician and teacher, studied with Stephen Maxym at the Manhattan and Juilliard Schools of Music and was the first bassoonist awarded a doctorate by the Juilliard School. A member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the woodwind quintet, Windscape, he has also made nine appearances as a soloist in Carnegie Hall. He serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, SUNY Stony Brook and was recently named Distinguished Lecturer in Woodwinds at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY. He performs exclusively on the Leitzinger Bassoon.

Gustavo Núñez

Gustavo Núñez, Principal Bassoon with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, is considered one of the best bassoonists of his generation. He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1965 and received violin lessons at the age of five. His true passion, however, has been since 1976 the bassoon, the instrument his father played in Venezuela. From the age of 16 he studied with Kerry Camden at London’s Royal College of Music. Later, between 1984 and 1988, he was a student in Klaus Thunemann’s prestigious class in Hanover, Germany. Still a student, Gustavo Núñez was awarded the “Prix Suisse” at the International Competition in Geneva and won the Carl Maria von Weber Price in Munich, both in 1987. In 1988 he played at the Opera House in Darmstadt and from 1989 he was Principal Bassoon with the Bamberg Symphony, where he remained until his Concertgebouw appointment in 1995. Gustavo Núñez has recorded the important works for bassoon by Mozart, Vivaldi, Villa-Lobos en Gubaidulina, among others, with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields. These are available with Channel Classics and Pentatone. Next to his Concertgebouw activity, the artist holds a professorship at the Robert Schumann Academy in Düsseldorf and the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid.

Marissa Olegario

Marissa Olegario joined the University of Arizona faculty in 2018 and regularly presents performances in the United States and abroad. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has worked with artists from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmoniker and Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet and is an active substitute in orchestras across the United States. Inspired by community engagement and innovation, she has collaborated with Dance for Parkinson’s, the Mark Morris Dance Group, projection designers and other artists to create multimedia performances. Constantly seeking new artistic possibilities, Marissa has premiered works by Jay Vosk and Szilárd Mezei. Her recent commissions include works by Shuying Li, Sarah Gibson, and John Steinmetz. She was a semi-finalist for the 2016 Matthew Ruggiero International Woodwind Competition, a recipient of the Yale School of Music Alumni Prize and a New York City Council on the Arts grant. She appears on two Naxos produced albums—Beethoven Music for Winds and A Vision of Time and Eternity featuring music of William Mathias. Holding degrees from Northwestern University and the Yale School of Music, her principal teachers are Chris Millard, Lewis Kirk, and Frank Morelli.

Anthony Parnther

Anthony Parnther is Music Director of two Southern California orchestras, the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, and the Southeast Symphony (Los Angeles). He is also a conductor and recording artist for motion picture, television, and video game scores. Anthony has played bassoon and contrabassoon on soundtracks by John Williams, Terrence Blanchard, Danny Elfman, Bruce Broughton, Michael Giacchino, Mychael Danna, John Debney, Ludwig Goransson, Mark Isham, David Newman, John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams, Junkie XL, Marco Beltrami, Mark Snow, Ramin Djawadi, Alan Silvestri, and Hans Zimmer. He can be heard on Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker, Lion King, Animaniacs, Looney Tunes, American Dad, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Call of the Wild, Ferdinand, Mulan, Star Wars: Rogue One, The Orville, Moana, Black KKKlansman, Star Trek Beyond, X-Men: Apocalypse, and more. He conducted the Hollywood Studio Symphony for Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Tenet, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Hunt, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Fargo, Tut, The Night Before, Little, The Long Way Back and League of Legends, and played or recorded with Jennifer Hudson, Rihanna, Jackie Evancho, Beyonce, Kanye West, Hanson, Snoop Dogg, The Eels, Madonna, Kid Cudi, Il Volo, Elton John, Michael Bolton, Pete Townsend, Billy Idol, Evanescence, Vanessa Williams, Maynard Ferguson, Wynton Marsalis, and Doc Severinson. He studied bassoon with Robert Barris and Willard Elliot at Northwestern University and orchestral conducting with Otto Werner-Mueller and Lawrence Leighton Smith at Yale University.

Stephanie Patterson

California native Stephanie Willow Patterson is Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, and Principal Bassoon of the Columbus Symphony (GA). Stephanie's performances often include staging and/or costumes, including Michael Daugherty’s Dead Elvis at the Wichita Knob Festival, and In Freundschaft by Karlheinz Stockhausen for bassoon-playing teddy bear. She has commissioned and co-commissioned works by composers including Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer, Nico Muhly, and Durwynne Hsieh. Her book, An Introduction to Contemporary Music for Bassoon and 64 Etudes is available through Trevco Music Publishing. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, the streets of Moscow, the pedestrian malls of Madrid, the Kappella hall of St. Petersburg, in a room with speakers on all sides in Belfast, Ireland, with Pierre Boulez at the Kunstmuseum Luzern, and atop a gallows at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Steve Peterson

Steve Peterson has performed as Principal Trombone with the San Antonio Symphony since 2016. Steve has also performed with Dallas Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestras. He has a Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from the University of Michigan where he studied with David Jackson and a Master of Music from Southern Methodist University where he studied with John Kitzman. Steve has taught at Richland College in Dallas, Texas State University San Marcos interim faculty, and is currently adjunct professor of trombone at St. Mary’s University and Trinity University. Steve has performed with many chamber groups including DFW Brass, Bishop Arts Brass, and the Dallas Symphony “Yes” Brass Quintet. Previous to moving to Texas in 2011, Steve played in jazz and commercial ensembles on Princess Cruise lines, which allowed him to travel to Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. Steve is also a videographer and creates many original satirical and documentary videos that can be found on his youtube channel: petersonproject.

Janet Polk

Janet Polk earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and her master’s degree in Music History at the University of New Hampshire. After graduation from UMass, she taught classroom music to students in grades K-6.  Encouraged by her private and master class teachers, she began a free-lance career on bassoon.  Currently, she is principal bassoonist of  Portland(ME) Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Opera North and Opera Maine.  Through the Partners of the Americas she has travelled to Honduras to help start a national youth symphony. As a member of the Block ensemble, she won prizes in the International Concert Artists Guild competition and John Knowles Paine competition. With the trio Sospiri, she has recorded a CD Trios of the 20th and 21st Century. Janet has premiered works written especially for her including works by Gwyneth Walker and Christopher Kies. As a soloist with orchestra, she has collaborated with Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson and Anthony McGill. In addition to her performing career, Janet teaches bassoon at the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College. She lives with her musicologist husband, Keith, in Durham New Hampshire.

Paul Sahlman

Paul has degrees in piano performance from University of Tulsa and Houston Baptist University. He studied under Joseph Kalichstein at St. Louis Conservatory, Boaz Sharon at University of Tulsa, and Roberto Eyzaguirre at Houston Baptist University. He resides in Houston, Texas and is married to professional flutist Ema Armanious.

Christin Schillinger

Hailed as a “…force of nature” by The Double Reed, bassoonist Christin Schillinger specializes in the accessibility of the avant-garde, aiming to broaden the audience for both new music and bassoon. Schillinger works closely with living composers who remark on her “natural interpretation” and “perfect musical choices.” Her solo albums, Bassoon Unbounded (2018), Bassoon Transcended (2013), and Bassoon Surrounded (2009), produced for MSR Classics by Swineshead Productions, include world-premiere recordings of new repertoire for bassoon. Schillinger’s 2016 book, Bassoon Reed Making: A Pedagogic History (Indiana University Press) also promotes themes of accessibility, as it details historic pedagogic trends in bassoon reed making. The text examines the impact different methods had on the practice of reed making and performance today. Schillinger is a recognized activist for equity and diversity, aiming to create an inclusive community through performance, scholarship, and service. She is creator and organizer of the fEmpower social media network for bassoonists identifying as female and a founding member of Limitless Collective all-female Chamber ensemble. Christin Schillinger is on faculty at Ithaca College in New York, affectionately known as Ithaca Bassooniversity.

Daniel Shelly

Daniel Shelly has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2004, and also performs in Carnegie Hall with the MET Chamber Ensemble. In recent seasons, he has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, San Diego’s Mainly Mozart Festival, and the Grant Park Festival Orchestra. He can be seen on PBS broadcasts of Gerard Schwarz’s Emmy Award-winning All-Star Orchestra and heard in numerous major motion picture and commercial soundtracks, including The Joker, True Grit, Noah, and Bruce Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball album.Before joining the Met, Mr. Shelly held positions with the New Mexico Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Sarasota Opera, and numerous ensembles in the New York area. His earliest bassoon studies were with Shirley Curtiss, through Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School. From there, he went on to receive his Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music, where he was a student of K. David Van Hoesen, and his Master of Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Judith LeClair. Mr. Shelly is an ardent educator and has taught at the Verbier Music Festival and Rutgers University. He is currently on the faculty of New York University, and also maintains a private studio.

Ann Shoemaker

Ann Shoemaker currently serves as Associate Professor of Bassoon at Baylor University in Waco, Texas and as Principal Bassoon with the Shreveport and Waco Symphony Orchestras. Her students have found continued success in professional orchestras, military bands, as freelance musicians, educators, and music administrators. Declared “highly expressive, with a rich sound” and “technical prowess” by the American Record Guide, Shoemaker frequently performs guest solo recitals across the country and internationally. She is Co-Executive Director of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Symposium, which advocates for the careers of young women bassoonists and strives to contribute to a diverse and supportive community of bassoonists. Dr. Shoemaker is an artist for Fox Products. Her CD, New Standards: Music for Bassoon and Piano, is available through the MSR Classics label.

William Short

William Short was appointed Principal Bassoon of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2012. He previously served in the same capacity with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and is a founding member of the Gotham Wind Quintet. A dedicated teacher, William serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Temple University, as well as the Verbier Festival and Interlochen Arts Camp. He has presented classes at colleges and conservatories around the country and at conferences of the International Double Reed Society, for which he serves as an officer. William has also performed and taught at the Lake Champlain, Lake Tahoe, Mostly Mozart, Stellenbosch (South Africa), Strings, and Twickenham Festivals. An occasional editor and composer, his works have been published by the Theodore Presser Company and TrevCo-Varner Music. William received his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Daniel Matsukawa and Bernard Garfield, and his Master of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he studied with Benjamin Kamins.

Staci A. Spring

As a professional bassoonist, educator, and arts advocate, Dr. Staci A. Spring believes in the transformative power of the arts to create meaningful change in society. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she performs frequently throughout the region as an orchestral and chamber musician, maintains a private bassoon studio, and holds faculty appointments at UT Chattanooga, Lee University, Chattanooga State, and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. An active member in the Chattanooga arts community, Spring serves on the Community Arts Team for the Kennedy Center’s Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child initiative, and regularly collaborates with teachers as a Teaching Artist for the UTC affiliate of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning in the Arts. She is also the director of the Scenic City Bassoon Ensemble; a group for bassoonists of all ages and skill levels that performs in community settings. Previous experience includes a decade of performing and teaching in Texas, and working as the Education & Community Engagement Manager for the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. Spring holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Bassoon Performance and a Graduate Academic Certificate in Arts Leadership from the University of North Texas, and dual Master of Music degrees in Bassoon Performance and Historical Musicology from Florida State University. She has served on the MQVC Team since 2013.

Barrick Stees

Barrick Stees is Assistant Principal Bassoonist of the Cleveland Orchestra and Instructor of Bassoon at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Kent/Blossom Music. Stees received a bachelor's degree and performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with K. David Van Hoesen. He has concertized extensively in Europe, South America and Asia, including a solo tour of Hong Kong and China. He has appeared at international music festivals in Italy, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. He has given recitals throughout the United States. Solo appearances include performances with the Hartford Symphony, the South Bend Symphony, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and the Cass City Bach Festival. Awarded the Presidential Scholar Teacher Recognition Award from the United States Secretary of Education, he has taught at Michigan State University, the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Brevard Music Center, and the University of Akron. His former students occupy prominent positions in orchestras and universities throughout the United States. His website, www.steesbassoon.com, and blog, BarryBlogs, contain a wealth of information for bassoonists.

Maya Stone

Maya Stone is a champion of music. She has commissioned and premiered several works by American composers. Her commissioning projects include Gospel Music and the Bassoon featuring the composers Raymond Wise, Mark Lomax II and William Menefeld. In addition to her solo work, she is a member of chatterbird, Rushes Ensemble and most recently, Intersection. Stone is Second Bassoon with the Huntsville Symphony in Alabama, Second Bassoon with the Sphinx Symphony based in Detroit, and she performs often with other orchestras around the Southeast. Dr. Stone held full-time professorships at universities in Tennessee, Ohio and Missouri from 2004-2013. She gives recitals and masterclasses around the United States each year, and has a small, active private studio. Dr. Stone has a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, a Masters of Music. from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor of Music from SUNY Potsdam. Her teachers include Kristin Wolfe Jensen, Barrick Stees, and Frank Wangler. During the pandemic, Maya has enjoyed being reflective, growing in different aspects of life and being artistic and creative in unexpected ways. You can follow Maya on different social media platforms at Maya Stone Music Studio.

Aura Trevino

Aura Trevino is one of the founders of the broadly recognized music program known as “El Sistema” in Venezuela. A well-known freelance contra-bassoonist and bassoonist in the South Florida and southwest Texas areas, Aura has worked for several orchestras including Miami Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of the Americas, Florida Chamber Orchestra, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Abilene Philharmonic, Lubbock Symphony, and San Angelo Symphony in Texas. She received a Licentiate in Bassoon Teaching Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in London, and a Certificate of Advanced studies in Bassoon. She earned a Masters of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Miami, then attended the doctoral program of Boston University (ABD) where she studied with Richard Svoboda and Dr. Mathew Ruggiero. She has recorded with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and the University of Miami Orchestra. She actively participated in summer courses in Europe, with Maestros Klaus Thunemann, Giorgio Versiglia, and Mathias Racz and in Venezuela with maestro George Sakakeeny. She has also attended conducting courses with Maestro Carlos Botero (Assistant conductor Houston Symphony) at the Aruba Symphony Festival and with Maestro Kirt Trevor at the International Conducting Institute.

Lia Uribe

Lia Uribe is Vice-Chair and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Arkansas Department of Music, Principal Bassoonist of Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA), and member of the Lyrique Quintette. She maintains an active career as a chamber musician, orchestral player and artist-teacher. Her work includes concerts and festivals in Argentina, Canada, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Finland, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Japan, Peru, England, Spain, Colombia, and the United States. An advocate for diversity and representation in the arts, Dr. Uribe’s research interest is centered in music by Latin-American and Latinx composers. She has commissioned and premiered several new pieces for the bassoon. Her Lyrique Quintette’s CD Arrivals and Departures: Music of the Americas was published in 2018. Originally from Colombia, Lia Uribe holds degrees in bassoon performance from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, University of Arkansas, and University of Kansas.

 Veronica Alzalde Wells

Veronica Alzalde Wells is a yoga teacher and librarian based in Stockton, California. Veronica’s yoga classes are supportive and nurturing. She is committed to making yoga a practice that is inclusive to all levels, ages, and abilities. A former flutist, Veronica earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Luther College and master’s degrees in musicology and library science from UW-Madison. Her yoga journey began in college and expanded in graduate school when she became a group fitness instructor and taught fitness and yoga classes. After moving to California in 2010 to become a librarian at the University of the Pacific, she completed her 200-hour Yoga Alliance certificate in 2015. She holds certifications in Bikram Yoga, Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. She teaches yoga at True You Hot Yoga in Stockton, California.

David A. Wells

Dr. David A. Wells has been involved with Meg Quigley since 2011, and currently serves as Co-Executive Director. As a performer, he plays historical and modern bassoons in a wide variety of ensembles and styles. On Baroque, Classical, and Romantic-era bassoons, he has recently performed with the American Bach Soloists, the Musica Redemptor Orchestra (Austin, TX), the Pacific Baroque Orchestra (Vancouver, BC), Sinfonia Spirituosa, the Sacramento Baroque Soloists, and at the Carmel Bach and Santa Cruz Baroque Festivals. On modern bassoon, he freelances with orchestras throughout Northern California, collaborates with colleagues in chamber groups, and plays with the swing sextet Hot Club Faux Gitane. He is also active as a music scholar, having presented papers at the conferences of the American Musicological Society, the Society for American Music, and the International Double Reed Society. Wells is on faculty at California State University, Sacramento, where he teaches bassoon and music history. When not playing or teaching, he can be found swimming in cold water, taking photographs, collecting records, and trying to keep up with his super-librarian/yogi wife, Veronica.

Lindsey Wiehl

Originally from Upstate New York, Lindsey began playing bassoon at the age of 11. She grew up enjoying music as a hobby and was very influenced by her musical family. ​Lindsey holds several degrees in music including a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the College of Saint Rose, an Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from Ball State University, and has recently earned her Doctorate of Arts in Bassoon Performance with a secondary in music theory and composition from Ball State University in 2020. Lindsey's passion for music is contagious. Whether she's performing, teaching, composing, or learning, she finds a way to spread her love for her craft. She currently teaches music to students at New Hartford School District in New York State.

Jacqueline Wilson

Jacqueline Wilson is the recently appointed Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Washington State University. As an active soloist and chamber musician, she regularly presents recitals and masterclasses, including recent engagements at the International Double Reed Society Conference, the College Music Society National Conference, the LunART Festival (Madison, Wisconsin) and on numerous college campuses. As an enthusiastic pedagogue and scholar, Wilson currently serves as the bassoon instructor at the Lutheran Summer Music Academy (Valparaiso, Indiana) where she is also a member of the Movere Wind Quintet. Wilson serves as a co-Executive Director for the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Bassoon Symposium and co-hosts the Double Reed Dish podcast with oboist Galit Kaunitz. Dr. Wilson is passionate about embracing diversity in her performances by elevating music featuring underrepresented perspectives and lived experiences.

Jessica Findley Yang

Jessica Findley Yang, from Wichita, Kansas, holds the position of Second Bassoon in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO), and she is currently the Acting Principal Bassoon. Previously, she has held the positions of Second Bassoon in the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra (Michigan). She earned degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Kansas, and her primary teachers have included William Winstead, Eric Stomberg, Martin Garcia, Merrilee Tuinstra, Nathaniel Zeisler, and Maya Stone. Jessica has attended summer music festivals including Shippensburg Symphony Festival, Festival Napa Valley, Sarasota Music Festival, Castleton Music Festival, and the Texas Music Festival, where she was the winner of the TMF concerto competition. She was also the winner of the University of Kansas Concerto Competition, the Midwest Double Reed Society Young Artist Competition, and won second place in the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition in 2016. Jessica has been a guest performer in many professional orchestras, including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and the New World Symphony, among others. Jessica serves as the Social Media Director for Meg Quigley.

Rocio Yllescas

Rocio Yllescas is Assistant Principal Bassoon of the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Bassoon of the Camerata Metropolitana, Professor of Bassoon at Panamerican University School of Fine Arts, Instituto Superior de Musica Esperanza Azteca in Puebla and Professor at the Summer Camp of the Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil de Mexico (OSIM). She is a Moosmann Bassoon Artist and a professional reed maker. Ms. Yllescas is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, Codarts Rotterdam University of the Arts (Netherlands) and Ollin Yoliztli School of Music (Mexico) and is currently pursuing a Master in Arts Management and Cultural Policies at the Panamerican University in Mexico City. Her main teachers are Nancy Goeres, Ronald Karten, and Wendy Holdaway. As a soloist she has performed in Mexico and abroad with different orchestras such as Carnegie Mellon Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Mar del Plata (Argentina), Orquesta de Camara de la UANL, Orquesta del Festival Cofcam, Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes, Orquesta Juvenil Eduardo Mata, Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Puebla, Orquesta Filarmomica de Acapulco, Camerata Metropolitana. She as played in halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, De Doelen in Rotterdam, Teatro Manoel in Malta, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and Sala Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico.

Leyla Zamora

Leyla Zamora has been a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra since 2005. Before coming to San Diego, Leyla held for 11 years the position of Principal Bassoon with the Memphis Symphony. She has also performed with Atlanta Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand, and the Costa Rican National Symphony. As an avid collaborator, she has participated in orchestral and chamber music festivals in the United States, Japan, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Puerto Rico. Leyla has also presented masterclasses and recitals in Kenya, Tanzania, Indonesia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, as well as in several universities throughout the United States. Leyla was born in Costa Rica and in 2005 became a dual citizen of the United States. She studied the bassoon at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Baylor University, and DePaul University in Chicago with Bruce Grainger.