For this special topic presentation, Dr. Anna Marsh and student Rylie Patching will introduce the Baroque bassoon and Baroque playing style to pre-college students. Students should come with their instrument as they will get a chance to play articulations and ornamentations on their modern bassoon. (Adults are welcome too!) Topics to be covered would include:

What is the Baroque Bassoon?

What is Baroque Playing Style?

Baroque Style on a Modern Bassoon

Trials and Rewards of Baroque Style and Why It Matters

How to Get Started and Where to Find Support

This session will outline strategies for success in the three primary stages of the university application process: the paper round, the phone round, and the on-campus round. Topics covered will include:

Cover letters and CVs

Written statements (Artistic, Teaching, DEI)

Selecting recordings

Selecting repertoire

Interviewing online and in person

This presentation will examine early references to women who played the bassoon. Many of these references are found in newspaper clippings and concert programs. We will also discuss the challenges of researching the histories of women bassoonists.

This lecture/demonstration makes the case that multiphonics are acoustic phenomena that occur at the intersection of fingerings, embouchure placement, lip pressure, and air speed. They can be manipulated through any of these factors to change pitch, timbre, and beating quality, sometimes subtly, other times drastically. Using examples from pieces by Liza Lim, Luis Fernando Amaya, Yi-Ting Lu, and Pierluigi Billone, Ben will examine a number of methods that composers have used to successfully harness these characteristics. Audience members will participate in a series of short exercises that will demonstrate the malleable characteristics of multiphonics and give them tools to approach these techniques in any repertoire they encounter.

This interactive creativity session is designed to benefit performers and teachers of all ages and career paths. Come open your ears, minds, and free your inner creative genius. We will explore new and old ways of approaching performance on the bassoon, ending with some guided improvisation and group composition with special guest John Steinmetz.

Bassoon reed-making is taught around the world to bassoonists of many ages, yet the contrabassoon reed is still a mystery to many. Approximately 25-30% of full time bassoon orchestra positions have some aspect of contrabassoon performance, with many additional performance opportunities outside the orchestra as well. This makes contrabassoon reed-making knowledge an essential skill for pre-professional and professional bassoonists. This presentation is for bassoonists with a basic knowledge of bassoon reed-making. The interactive lecture will demonstrate how to apply reed-making knowledge for the bassoon to make an excellent contrabassoon. Topics covered will include: differences and similarities between bassoon and contrabassoon reed, recommended contrabassoon tools to add to standard bassoon reed making tools, reed evaluation techniques, and the effect of reed shape on the contrabassoon reed.

“What if we don't show up", an opportunity to unpack the power we carry as 50% of the profession, and discuss ways to uplift and empower each other. This presentation will start a series of conversations about empathy and connection between stakeholders of diverse identities, dominant and non-dominant.

Steven Braunstein presents an introduction to the contrabassoon for those with little to no experience on the instrument who want to get to know it a little better! No contrabassoon needed for participation.

This session will give pre-college and pre-professional students the opportunity to connect with professionals in the industry and gain advice and information about bassoon, careers in the arts, professional development, and any other topics of interest. Participants will be organized into pairs and have five minutes to converse with each other. Pairs will rotate throughout the session so that they have an opportunity to speak with everyone. This event is designed to help foster stronger networks and connections throughout the bassoon world in a supportive space.