Alex Davis’ Meg Talk will discuss and show portions of “Rubispheres #4” for Bassoon and Saxophone composed by Valerie Coleman. The intention is to highlight the relationship between the first movement of Valerie’s “Rubispheres #4”, Milonga Misterio: Homage to Piazzolla, and the stylistic influences of the Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla. The talk will focus on the stylistic representations of the “Milonga” and “Nuevo Tango” that Piazzolla invoked in “Rubispheres #4” to not only enhance performance practices, but future practices when working with wind repertoire influenced by Astor Piazzolla.

Dana Jessen’s Meg Talk will promote contemporary improvisation as a tool for better understanding our instrument and the multitude of extended techniques that we can create as bassoonists. The bassoon has a massive range of sound worlds, including many techniques that have not been widely utilized or fully explored. Improvisation has served as a vehicle in discovering new sounds that have subsequently been adapted into our contemporary repertoire. Dana will demonstrate some of these techniques and provide ways to implement improvisation as a part of daily practice in order to master these sounds and discover new ones that are unique to each player.

Dr. Ashley Haney's Meg Talk presentation features a short lecture and a complete performance of Rodrigo Sigal’s Twilight (2001), a composition for solo bassoon and electronics that takes the performer and listener through the four stages of the setting sun. She provides a brief background of contemporary music composition and electro-acoustic music in Mexico, as well as a background on the composer and the composition. She gives explanations of the extended techniques required and provide potential solutions for extended techniques and technical challenges aimed to assist future bassoonists in the successful execution of this deserving composition by Mexican composer, Rodrigo Sigal.

4:30pm EST/1:30pm PST (90 minutes) Click here to join the zoom meeting