Shuttle bus from UNCSA to Brookstown Hotel. Two departure times: 9:00pm and 9:30pm

Free for all registered Symposium participants! Our closing banquet will feature the Meg Quigley Shero awards; the announcement of the winners of the 2025 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition; and performances by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Bassoon Studio, Appalachian State University’s Blazing Bassoons, and the Ensamble de Fagot FaM - UNAM.

Reed making with Ariel Detwiler (ACDC Reeds), Cory Jones (North Carolina Double Reed Co.) and Katia Osario

Come see the finalists of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition

Performance Class with Francisco Joubert

Whether the participant is a beginner or aspiring professional I would like to help them get to the "why" they are performing what they are performing and how to make it sound like it. Even if playing bassoon excerpts, since they are so subjective, I would like the participants to find and be confident of the choices they make when performing for a panel.

Performance Class with Marcello Padilla

Elizabeth Crawford, Allison Gagnon, Cody Hunter, Brigit Fitzgerald Pacher, Peter Kolkay, Javier Rodriguez, Lauren Winkelman

Kristin Wolfe Jensen discusses research and personal philosophy on effective methods for one on one music teaching. She will both present from her own experiences in 34 years of teaching in higher education, and will also call on the expertise of seasoned teachers in attendance. We will explore the minute to minute decisions a private instructor makes regarding what aspects of music-making to address, when to compliment a student, and when to challenge them to reach for more refined artistry and instrumental control.

Visit our amazing vendors!

Sponsors:
Fox Products
Midwest Musical Imports
Forrests Music

Exhibitors:
ACDC Reeds
Barton Cane
Remoy Reeds
Bel Canto Reeds
Bocal Majority
Chemical City Double Reeds
Clip and Play
Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds
Hodge Products, Inc.
Kassandra Bassoon LLC
Kincaid Rabb
Jenni Brandon Music
Leitzinger
Nielsen Bocal Supply
Raven Reeds
Reeds 'n Stuff

Performance Class with Juan de Gomar

The brand of instrument, the bocal, the style of playing, the brand of cane, and the reed shapes all play a huge role in how we can attain maximum comfortability while playing the bassoon. The type of shaper we use can make an enormous difference, without the expense of buying a new bocal or instrument. In this presentation, César Torres shares the knowledge he has acquired testing the majority of shapers in the market, and illustrates to fellow bassoonists what exactly made a great difference in his playing and has helped him to achieve more confidence and comfort in playing.

Roger Zare’s Seas of the Moon was the winning piece in the 2023 Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition (BCMCC), and is part of the required repertoire for both the Preliminary and Final rounds of this year’s Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. In this Coffee Talk, Zare will discuss the piece’s inspiration and composition. It’s also your chance to ask the composer himself about matters of interpretation, or whatever you’re curious about!

Share personal stories and discuss  diverse careers in and beyond the two paths of performance and teaching in this session lead by Elizabeth Crawford in conjunction with Cassandra Bendickson, Rachel Frederiksen, and Haley Houk. We will explore topics specific to the challenges faced by women, the power of community, and developing skills not often taught or discussed in formal musical training. This discussion is applicable to professional musicians at every point in their career. Topics discussed will include: Interpersonal dynamics in professional environments, developing and investing in your communities, effective communication and meaningful collaborations, and education at the right time for the right reasons.

Shuttle bus from Brookstown Hotel to UNCSA. Two departure times: 7:30am and 7:55am

The Quest for the Golden Reed: A Bassoon-Themed Treasure Hunt
Created by Margaret P. Fay

See program book for more information
Available from the start of the symposium until Sunday, January 12, 2025, 6:30 p.m.

 Flawless pitch, crystal clear, 
A reed to play your whole career.
Low or high, soft or loud, 
This reed makes your momma proud. 

The golden reed, fact or fiction?
It's hard to make a firm prediction.
Be it what you wish to seek, 
In your program book do peek.  

Once you've solved the printed clue, 
You'll know exactly what to do.
Hunt alone or with a friend,
Will you find your dividend?

Shuttle bus from UNCSA to Brookstown Hotel. Two departure times: 10:00pm and 10:30pm

Performance by the Oakland University Bassoon Quartet

7:00pm in the Lobby performance by the University of Central Florida

7:30pm Recital featuring performers: Sue Barber, Dana Brink, Gina Cuffari, C.J. Everett, Allison Gagnon, Sue Heineman, Kristin Jensen, Laura Najarian, Marcelo Padilla, Aaron Pergram, Diane Phoenix-Neal, Ben Roidl-Ward, Christin Schillinger, Tom Schneider, Andy Sledge

The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet invites you to a unique performance class that delves into the multifaceted world of being a contemporary bassoon ensemble. This class will provide an in-depth exploration of our musical arrangements, the dynamics of collaboration, and how we sustain creativity and mutual support in the face of challenges.

Performance Class with Nicolasa Kuster

The musical excerpts used in orchestral auditions in the United States present an extremely limited scope of style, period, and representation. As a result, they are unnecessarily exclusive and do not address several fundamental skills that are necessary for success in the profession. For the past several years, I have been working to integrate new excerpts into audition lists that I can control (mainly university placement auditions and festival audition lists). My goal in doing so has been to represent a broader range of styles, techniques, time periods, and composers’ identities. In the process, I’ve successfully used a number of excerpts (including works by Tania Leon, Hilda Paredes, Margaret Bonds, and Clarice Assad, among others) that I believe are extremely effective in audition settings. This presentation and workshop will identify a number of excerpts in this category, give them musical, stylistic, and historical context, and feature performances by symposium participants.

12:30pm performance by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Bassoon Studio in the lobby

1:00 pm Recital featuring performers: Maribel Alonso, Cassandra Bendickson, Richard Brasseale, Elizabeth Crawford, C.J. Everett, Margaret Fay, Debby Grove, John Grove, Haley Houk, Yoon Joo Hwang, Eleni Katz, Jessica Kunttu, Stephanie Patterson, Rémy Taghavi, Robyn Watson

Visit our amazing vendors!

Sponsors:
Fox Products
Midwest Musical Imports
Forrests Music

Exhibitors:
ACDC Reeds
Barton Cane
Remoy Reeds
Bel Canto Reeds
Bocal Majority
Chemical City Double Reeds
Clip and Play
Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds
Hodge Products, Inc.
Kassandra Bassoon LLC
Kincaid Rabb
Jenni Brandon Music
Leitzinger
Nielsen Bocal Supply
Raven Reeds
Reeds 'n Stuff

Performance Class with Cornelia Sommer

This performance class will focus on how to be a great section player in the orchestra. The class will help players build skills specific to orchestral bassoon playing, based on my experience as Second Bassoon in the Detroit Symphony as well as my freelance work in the Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and Oregon Symphonies. While bassoonists often have ample instruction on audition preparation, it is much more difficult to get feedback on actually playing in the orchestra. This class aims to address that gap and help prepare bassoonists for freelance work, section playing rounds in auditions, and the tenure process after securing a position. I will distribute a handout that summarizes my central tenets of section playing; the handout will outline the skills needed for Principal vs. Second playing and guidelines on vibrato use, dynamic balance, fingering choices, and musical leadership. Each of these ideas will be workshopped by the class performers in important orchestral excerpts for two (or more) bassoons. Excerpts will include: Bartók Concerto for Orchestra, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, Strauss Don Quixote, Bonds Montgomery Variations, Brahms Violin Concerto, Sibelius 2, and Shostakovich 10 (if there is a contra player in the mix). I would primarily encourage pre-professional players for this class, but I am also happy to hear more or less experienced bassoonists. Rehearsal prior to the class with your excerpt partner(s) is encouraged but not required.

Visit our amazing vendors!

Sponsors:
Fox Products
Midwest Musical Imports
Forrests Music

Exhibitors:
ACDC Reeds
Barton Cane
Remoy Reeds
Bel Canto Reeds
Bocal Majority
Chemical City Double Reeds
Clip and Play
Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds
Hodge Products, Inc.
Kassandra Bassoon LLC
Kincaid Rabb
Jenni Brandon Music
Leitzinger
Nielsen Bocal Supply
Raven Reeds
Reeds 'n Stuff

MOVED ONLINE: See Symposium Email for Zoom link.

Moderator: Lia Uribe (University of Arkansas Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities, Professor of Music). Using the frame of creative justice, we will examine how music can be used to challenge power structures while empowering diverse audiences and philanthropy, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the creative process, from funding and production to distribution and consumption. This conversation will offer opportunities to improve the justice literacies of our MQVC community by connecting it with agents who sharpen their skills at producing equitable and just outcomes

Moderator:
Lia Uribe, Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities and Professor of Music, University of Arkansas Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

Panelists:
Maribel Alonso, Bassoon Professor at La Escuela Superior de Música/Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and Facultad de Musica/Universidad Nacional de Mexico, Kristin Wolfe Jensen, Professor of Bassoon at The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, Stephanie Patterson, Associate Professor of Bassoon at University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Reed making with Ariel Detwiler (ACDC Reeds), Cory Jones (North Carolina Double Reed Co.) and Katia Osario

Shuttle bus from Brookstown Hotel to UNCSA. Two departure times: 7:30am and 7:55am