Summer Series
The second season of our Summer Series of webinars and panel discussions with bassoonists, composers, and others is under way! See below for information on upcoming sessions and videos of previous ones.
2022
Register here!
The 2022 Meg Quigley Summer Series webinars include conversations with composers (Noelia Escalzo, Jeff Scott), bassoonists (Stephanie Corwin, Alex Davis, Monica Ellis, Nicolasa Kuster, Kara LaMoure, Cornelia Sommer, Aura Marina Trevino, David A. Wells), and other professionals (theater director and teacher Deborah Devine). While these sessions will focus on preparing competitors to enter the preliminary round of the 2023 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, they are relevant to and valuable for all bassoonists.⠀
These webinars are offered free of charge, but they are only possible with the generous support of you, our audience. Become a Friend of Meg Quigley by donating today!
Session 1: Noelia Escalzo’s Argenta (in Spanish) (Monday Aug 15th, 4pm PDT/7pm EDT)
Panelists: Noelia Escalzo, Aura Trevino
Description: Composer Noelia Escalzo discusses her piece “Argenta” for bassoon and piano, which is one of the required pieces for the 2023 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. Aura Marina Trevino will host this session, which will be conducted in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation
Session 2: Jeff Scott’s Elegy for Innocence (Thursday Aug 18, 4pm PDT/7pm EDT)
Panelists: Jeff Scott, Monica Ellis, and Alex Davis
Description: Composer and horn player Jeff Scott discusses his piece “Elegy for Innocence” with dedicatee Monica Ellis and host Alex Davis. “Elegy for Innocence” is one of the required pieces for the 2023 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. This session will be conducted in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation.
Session 3: Recording Tips for Preliminary Round Entries (Friday Aug 19, 4pm PDT/7pm EDT)
Panelists: Kara LaMoure, Cornelia Sommer, and David A. Wells
Description: Former Meg Quigley competitors Kara LaMoure and Cornelia Sommer discuss recording strategies, techniques, and equipment, with a focus on preparing Preliminary Round entries for the 2023 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. David A. Wells will host the conversation, which will be conducted in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation.
Session 4: Speaking to the Audience (Monday Aug 22, 4pm PDT/7pm EDT)
Panelists: Deborah Devine, Nicolasa Kuster
Description: Deborah Devine, an award-winning theatre director and teacher, speaks with host Nicolasa Kuster about work on effective speaking from the stage, and how to create an effective spoken video component of the application. This session will be conducted in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation.
Session 5: Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor, RV 499 (Friday Aug 26, 4pm PDT/7pm EDT)
Panelists: Stephanie Corwin and David A. Wells
Description: Historical bassoon specialist Stephanie Corwin speaks with host David A. Wells about Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor, RV 499, with a special focus on strategies for approaching the second movement. This session will be conducted in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation.
2021
Recentered Music Learning: Operationalizing Social Work Principles as Anti-racist, Anti-oppressive, Socially Just Music Praxis
In this session, Midori Samson (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Trade Winds Ensemble) will introduce her research exploring an intentional synergy of social work principles with music pedagogy and performance. She will discuss three existing frameworks from the discipline of social work and offer a new one, Recentered Music Learning. Then, she will show applied examples of how these frameworks can be operationalized by musicians. This session will be followed by a Happy Hour hangout, also via Zoom.
Repertoire Sessions: William Grant Still Three Songs and Jenni Brandon Colored Stones
This first repertoire session will feature a conversation between composer Jenni Brandon and Jacqueline Wilson (Washington State University), focused on Colored Stones for solo bassoon (Meg Quigley Competition Repertoire, 2016). Garrett McQueen (TRILLOQUY) and Titus Underwood (Nashville Symphony) will also discuss William Grant Still's Three Songs, arranged for bassoon by Alexa Still. Continuing Meg Quigley's mission of inclusivity, education, and outreach, this session will support teachers and students as college audition lists are expanded to include more composers.This session is generously sponsored by Imagine Music Publishing, and is hosted by Stephanie Willow Patterson (Columbus State University). A Happy Hour hangout will immediately follow the session, also via Zoom.
2020
In 2020, we launched our first-ever Summer Series of webinars and panel discussions with bassoonists, composers, and others. Thank you to all of our panelists, sponsors, and everyone who attended! These weekly sessions were free, thanks to our generous sponsors, and are now viewable below or on our YouTube channel.
Learning from Experience: A Panel Discussion with Bassoonists of Color
The first session in the Meg Quigley Summer Series is a panel discussion with three bassoonists of color. Lia Uribe (University of Arkansas, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas) hosts a conversation with Shawn Jones (Quinteto Latino), Garrett McQueen (Music Through the Night, TRILLOQUY), and Kika Wright (Bronx Arts Ensemble, Incidental Chamber Players).This session is sponsored by Forrests Music.
Pushing Forward: A Discussion on Music for the Bassoon by Composers from Underrepresented Groups
The second session in the Meg Quigley Summer Series is a conversation that celebrates inclusive programming with a group of bassoonists who have dedicated their careers to championing works by historically underrepresented groups. Jacqueline Wilson (Washington State University, Double Reed Dish) will host the conversation with Monica Ellis (Imani Winds), Nicolasa Kuster (University of the Pacific), Katia Osorio (Co-Founder, Exposure), Maya Stone (Huntsville Symphony Orchestra), and Lia Uribe (University of Arkansas, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas). This session is generously sponsored by Bocal Majority.
The Imperative of Community Engagement for Musicians
The third session in the Meg Quigley Summer Series explores the why and how of community engagement in the 21st century through the exceptional careers of bassoonists who are actively practicing artistic citizenship. Staci Spring (UT Chattanooga, Scenic City Bassoons) will host the conversation with Nanci Belmont (The City of Tomorrow, Longy School of Music), Midori Samson (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Trade Winds Ensemble), Lecolion Washington (Community Music Center of Boston), and Kika Wright (Bronx Arts Ensemble, Incidental Chamber Players). This session is sponsored by GoBassoon Reeds
Vivaldi: Interpretation and Competition Preparation
The fourth session in the Meg Quigley Summer Series explores Antonio Vivaldi and his Bassoon Concerto in a minor, RV 498, which is part of the repertoire for the upcoming Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition (See mqvc.org/competition for full list and other competition details). David A. Wells (California State University, Sacramento) leads the conversation with Andrew Brady (Atlanta Symphony), Stephanie Corwin (Kleine Kammermusik), and James Massol (Manhattan School of Music). This session is sponsored by Midwest Musical Imports
Quiggle Talk: Competition & Audition Preparation
The fifth installment of the Meg Quigley Summer Series is a conversation with former Meg Quigley finalists, affectionately known as "Quiggles." We will discuss what strategies these women used to prepare for the competition, as well as how they prepare for orchestral auditions. Jessica Findley Yang (Knoxville Symphony, University of Tennessee Knoxville) will talk with Marisa Esposito (Erie Philharmonic, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory), Ivy Ringel (Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra), and Amanda Swain (Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Sam Houston State University). This session is sponsored by Trevco-Varner Music and The Music Source.
Quiggle Talk: Bassoon Careers
The sixth installment of the Meg Quigley Summer Series is a conversation with former Meg Quigley semifinalists, affectionately known as "Quiggles." We will discuss their unique career paths in music and career advice for aspiring young bassoonists. Jessica Findley Yang (Knoxville Symphony, University of Tennessee Knoxville) will talk with Catherine Chen (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra), Amelia del Caño (New World Symphony), and Kara LaMoure (WindSync). This session is sponsored by Miller Marketing
Composer Session: José Siqueira and Nicole DeMaio
Bassoonist Benjamin Coelho discusses 2020 preliminary round piece, Three Etudes for Bassoon and Piano by José Siqueira, its performance and its stylistic context within Brazilian Nationalist Music. In the second half hour, Ann Shoemaker speaks with composer Nicole DeMaio about her Solo for Bassoon Alone, also a competition piece this year, and bassoonist Ethan Lippert, who premiered the piece. This session is sponsored by Miller Marketing.
Composer Session: Reena Esmail and Natalie Moller
Stephanie Willow Patterson (Columbus State University, Columbus Symphony Orchestra) leads an intimate chat with composers Reena Esmail and Natalie Moller about their pieces for the final round of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. Esmail's Zinfandel for solo bassoon features inspiration from Indian classical music, and Moller's Translations for bassoon and piano is based on untranslatable words from other languages. This session is generously sponsored by Fox Products.
Composer Session: Adolphus Hailstork, Ann Gebuhr
In this, the final session of the 2020 Meg Quigley Summer Series, we focus on competition works by Adolphus Hailstork and Ann K. Gebuhr. First is a conversation about Hailstork's "Bassoon Set" with the composer and Lecolion Washington, who recorded the piece on his album "Legacy." In the second half hour, Kristin Wolfe Jensen and Robert Hatten discuss Gebuhr's "Ghost Dance," which was inspired by one of Hatten's poems. This session is generously sponsored by Barton Cane
