Martin Kuuskman, Bassoon
Versatility is the Key

Preparing for a showdown – less is more – playing economically and ergonomically while being the best musician you can be. Find out how to deliver anything technical or musical with minimal effort while staying relaxed, using proper support and air resistance techniques, and thus getting the maximum out of your instrument, your reed and yourself! Performed works to be chosen from the following list: J.S. Bach Flute Partita, Bitsch Concertino, Boutry Interferences I, Dutilleux Sarabande et Cortege, Jacob Partita, Gotkovsky Variations Concertantes, Saint-Saens Sonata, Schnyder Sonata, Schumann 3 Romances, Schumann Fantasiestücke, Tansman Sonatina: Concertos: Mozart, Hummel, Weber, Jolivet Modern solo works by, Berio, Yun.

Estonian-born bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann counts as one of the leading voices on his instrument, performing repertoire landmarks from across the entire scope of classical music and avant-garde with celebrated orchestras like the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra on the one hand and world famous conductors such as Paavo Järvi and Dennis Russel Davies on the other. Kuuskmann’s exceptional artistry is documented in a steadily expanding recording catalogue that includes two Grammy-nominations.

Viola Wilmsen, Oboe
Baroque and Classical Repertoire

Viola Wilmsen is principal oboist of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, having previously held the same position at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In March 2022 she was appointed professor at the “Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler” Berlin. In 2009 she won the first prize at the prestigious International Sony Oboe Competition in Japan. As soloist and chamber musician she was invited to international concert halls and festivals and was awarded prizes as “Echo Klassik.” Guest engagements have taken her to orchestras such as Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, BRSO, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and all major German opera houses. Her multiple recordings have been highly praised by the press. She studied with D. Jonas, D. Wollenweber and J. Tys, is invited as a jury member for international competitions and gives masterclasses regularly in Germany and abroad.

Gordon Hunt, Oboe
Orchestral Excerpts

Regarded as one of the world’s leading oboists, for over four decades Hunt has performed across six continents as soloist and conductor, also directing master classes and playing with renowned chamber ensembles. He is currently Principal Oboe of the London Chamber Orchestra and the World Orchestra for Peace, and formerly of the Philharmonia and London Philharmonic Orchestras. He has recorded twenty-six solo CDs, including the Richard Strauss concerto, which the Penguin Guide named as the finest version, and was the original Gabriel’€™s Oboe in the film The Mission. He has been Music Director of the Danish Chamber Players and the Swedish Chamber Winds. He is the Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, and a UNESCO Artist for Peace. He plays an XM oboe by Howarth of London.

Roger Soren, Contrabassoon
Contrabassoon Excerpt Masterclass

The focus of the masterclass will be on tone, projection, proper fingerings and embouchure, as well as how to hold the instrument to keep away any stress. With a record number of Contrabassoon openings in major orchestras, Soren will work with students who have prepared major excerpts. The excerpts on Soren’s list include: Ravel: Mother Goose and Left Hand Concerto, Beethoven 5 and 9, Shostakovich 5th Symphony, Strauss Salome Main Solo. 

Contrabassoonist Roger Soren joined the Colorado Symphony in 2011, after holding positions with the Louisville Orchestra, Indianapolis and Jacksonville Symphonies. He has also performed as a substitute with the Montreal, Cincinnati, Grant Park, and Nashville Symphonies. As a soloist, Roger performed the Contrabassoon Concerto by Daniel Dorff with the Colorado Symphony in 2019, the Louisville Orchestra in 1994, the IDRS Oklahoma Festival Orchestra in 2010, and the Symphony in C in 1998. An active teacher, Roger has taught at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, University of Denver, Western Kentucky University, Bellarmine University and Florida State University.

Michael Rabinowitz, Bassoon
USA Jazz Swing Rhythms and Articulation

Rabinoowitz will present a 50-minute improvisation masterclass with an emphasis on jazz swinging articulation. In particular, the class will play exercises that will increase proficiency with rhythmic jazz phrasing. These exercises help surmount the challenges of the resistance of the double reed unique to oboe & bassoon. 

For the last 40 years, Michael’s improvisatory skills on the bassoon have opened the door for the instrument to enter a variety of musical environments not associated with the instrument. He has recorded with Ira Sullivan, Red Rodney, Wynton Marsalis, John Hicks, Dave Douglas, Chris Potter, John Clark, Joe Lovano and Elvis Costello. His CD called Uncharted Waters released in 2018 has garnered glowing reviews. His participation at over 17 IDRS conferences continues to inspire bassoonists and oboists to push beyond the traditional roles of their instruments.

Toyin Spellman-Diaz, Oboe
Using What You’ve Already Got To Get What You Want

Oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master and Professional Studies degrees at the Manhattan School of Music. Her orchestral career includes performances with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. An original member of Imani Winds, Ms. Spellman-Diaz has built her career as a champion of contemporary chamber music. She has also collaborated with some of today’s most influential chamber music ensembles, including Alarm Will Sound, the Antara Ensemble and Camerata Pacifica. She is on faculty at New York University and the Curtis Institute of Music, and is on the Board of Directors of American Composer’s Orchestra.

Sophie Dervaux
Mozart Bassoon Concerto K191 and Orchestral Excerpts

Sophie Dervaux is the principal bassoon of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. Previously, she was the principal contrabassoon of the Berlin Philharmonic. Prizewinner of prestigious competitions includes the international ARD Competition Munich and the Beethoven-Ring Bonn.Ms. Dervaux performs as a soloist with many prestigious orchestras. She is currently teaching at the Muk – Music and Arts University of the city of Vienna.

Mary Lynch VanderKolk
Open Repertoire

Mary Lynch VanderKolk joined the Seattle Symphony as Principal Oboe in 2014. She previously held the position of Second Oboe with The Cleveland Orchestra and has performed as Guest Principal Oboe with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, among others. Since 2014, she has performed many times as soloist with the Seattle Symphony, including the world premiere recording of Marc-André Dalbavie’s Oboe Concerto. An avid chamber musician, she regularly performs at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival (RI) and the Philadelphia and Seattle Chamber Music Societies. Ms. Lynch VanderKolk studied at New England Conservatory, the Juilliard School, and Interlochen Arts Academy, and her teachers include John Ferrillo, Elaine Douvas, Nathan Hughes, and Daniel Stolper. Now a devoted teacher herself, she serves on faculty at the University of Washington.

Titus Underwood, Oboe
Open Repertoire

Titus Underwood is Principal Oboe of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music associate professor, Emmy Award winner, and 2021 recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence award. He received his Master of Music from The Juilliard School and Bachelors from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Also, he has played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Miami Symphony Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony, and San Diego Symphony. Mr. Underwood has also played principal in Chineke!, Gateways Music Festival, and Bellingham Festival of Music. Underwood serves as teaching artist for Aspen Music Festival and the National Youth Orchestras program at Carnegie Hall. He also teaches and mentors for the National Alliance for Audition Support program maintained by the League of American Orchestras, The Sphinx Organization, and New World Symphony. His latest project was a short film he directed entitled “A Tale of Two Tails.”

Hannigan Erin, Oboe
19th Century Orchestral Excerpts

Erin Hannigan is the Principal Oboe of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and was previously a member of the Rochester Philharmonic. She has been guest Principal Oboist with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony. She spends the summer months performing and teaching at summer festivals, including The Strings Festival, Mainly Mozart, National Youth Orchestra (NYO), the Grand Teton Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival (Switzerland), and Festival Napa Valley. Hannigan has recorded three CDs on the Crystal Records label, and also recorded Jeremy Gill’s Serenada Concertante, a piece she commissioned and premiered with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Andrea Cellacchi, Bassoon
Open Repertoire

Cellacchi believes in the power of a masterclass, both as a learning opportunity and as a potential source of inspiration for the performer and the audience. He likes to leave the theme of the masterclass free of choice, as to respect and fulfill the current needs of the student.

Cellacchi is the new Principal Bassoon of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, a position he won in 2021. Cellacchi gained international prestige after winning the 1st Prize at the 10th Aeolus International Competition in Düsseldorf, Germany, and the 1st Prize at The Muri Competition 2016, Switzerland. He also won the Premio Abbado in 2015 and the 1st Prize in the International Bassoon Competitions “Audimozart 2016”, “G. Rossini” in Pesaro and “Città di Chieri”. He won the 2018 2nd Prize at the Internationaler Instrumentalwettbewerb Markneukirchen and the 1st Prize at the International Fox-Gillet Competition in 2018.

Amy Pollard
Improving Performance Focus and Managing Performance Anxiety

This class will give attendees information about what causes lapses in focus and issues with performance anxiety. Attendees will be led through various exercises of breathing, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga and given concrete skills to help manage these problems.

Amy Pollard is the Professor of Bassoon and Associate Director for Performance at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. During the summer she has been on the faculty of the UGA Study Abroad program in Alessandria, Italy, the Saarburg Music Festival in Saarburg, Germany, and the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival. She is currently principal bassoon of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and second bassoon with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Pollard is an active freelancer with orchestras throughout the Southeast. An avid chamber musician, she has performed nationally and internationally with such groups as the Georgia Woodwind Quintet, her bassoon/percussion duo, Col Legno, and her bassoon duo, Dueaux. Pollard’s debut solo album, Ruminations: Bassoon Works of Eugène Bozza, and the Georgia Woodwind Quintet’s CD Chroma were both released by Mark Records and are available on iTunes. She holds DMA and MM degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a BM degree from Louisiana State University studying with William Winstead and William Ludwig.

Geoffrey Burgess, Period oboe/Oboe d’amore/English Horn
Baroque Chamber Music for Oboes and Bassoons

The rich repertoire of Baroque chamber music provides oboists and bassoonists much to explore. This session led by three experts will address the technical and interpretative challenges that the style presents. We invite ensembles of all levels to bring chamber music of all combinations from Albinoni to Zelenka. Phrase, breath management, articulation, registral coloration, and ornamentation will all be considered. Both early instrument ensembles (at 415Hz) as well as modern-instrument configurations (at 440Hz) are welcome. 

Internationally renowned Baroque oboist and musicologist Geoffrey Burgess performed with Les Arts Florissants, and has been a featured soloist with the Washington Bach Consort, Philadelphia Bach Collegium, The Brandenburg Orchestra of Australia, and Trinity Wall Street, (NY). Baroque oboe instructor at Eastman, Burgess’s most recent book The Pathetick Musician explores Baroque music interpretation.

Eric Stomberg, Bassoon
The Coloratura Bassoon

This class will focus on one lyrical etude of Julius Weissenborn (50 Advanced Studies), Eugéne Jancourt (Melodic Studies, Op. 15), and Ludwig Milde (Concert Studies, Op. 26) selected by the performers. Discussion will center on maintaining resonance, commiting to a musical plan, and communicating with your audience. This masterclass will be directed towards advanced high school and undergraduate college students.

Eric Stomberg teaches at the University of Kansas, Interlochen Arts Academy, and is Director of Music at Interlochen Arts Camp. He has held orchestral positions with City Music Cleveland, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Stomberg has held guest residencies and masterclasses at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, Florida State University, Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University among many others.

ToniMarie Marchioni, Oboe
Oboe Concours of the Paris Conservatoire

While a few Concours pieces are well-known and often played (such as the Paladilhe Solo, Bozza Fantaisie Pastorale, and Dutilleux Sonata), others are rarely programmed, though they are pedagogically significant and artistically rewarding. Students may choose works from a list of compositions including those aforementioned or others by Colin, Verroust, Guilhaud, Lefebvre, Colomer, Dallier, Cools, Deslandre, or Diemer. The goal of this masterclass is to explore issues ranging from achieving technical prowess to forming a deeply compelling musical interpretation, as well as to introduce oboists to a new body of incredible repertoire.

Oboist ToniMarie Marchioni has performed in Europe, South America, Asia, and throughout the US as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. For the 2017-18 season, she was the Acting Second Oboe for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. She has also been a featured artist at the Moab Music Festival (Utah), in Carnegie Hall’s collected stories festival curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, for the Stefan Wolpe Society, and at New York’s leading contemporary music venue Spectrum. Currently the Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Kentucky, she holds degrees from Harvard University and The Juilliard School.

Tristan Rennie, Bassoon
Brahms Violin Concerto, 2nd mvt; Bartok Concerto for Orchestra,
2nd mvt; Strauss Don Quixote, Variation No. 9

As wind players in an orchestra, we are all essentially soloists, generally playing individual, specific parts. However, even though we are all soloists, not all solo parts are equal. But the role of a second bassoonist is important in a wind section. Over the course of my career as a second bassoonist, I have discovered a set of guidelines that have helped fulfill my role in the section.

Tristan Rennie is Second/Assistant Principal Bassoon with the Colorado Symphony and Artist Faculty in Residence at the University of Northern Colorado. A highly versatile musician, Tristan served as Acting Associate Principal Bassoon with the Cincinnati Symphony, performed as Guest Principal Bassoon with the Baltimore Symphony and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He has also performed at the International Double Reed Society, and co-hosts the University of Northern Coloradoʼs Double Reed Days. An experienced chamber musician, Tristan has performed at the Idyllwild, Sarasota, and Sunflower Music Festivals and for three summers performed at the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival.

Jaren Atherholt, Oboe
How to perform confidentally and musically under high pressure situations

Students will perform their favorite solo work, Barret articulation study, Ferling etude or orchestral excerpt. This class will focus on how to perform musically and confidentally even under high pressure situations. Music is usually the solution to any challenge!

Jaren Atherholt is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She previously served as Principal Oboist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra from 2007 – 2018. Prior to obtaining her position with the LPO, Jaren spent two seasons as Principal Oboist of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra. She has performed as guest Principal Oboist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Detroit Symphony. She has also performed as guest Associate Principal Oboist with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Monica Ellis, Bassoon
Building the Best Bassoon Sound My approach to playing with the most beautiful sound possible AKA – Sing Your Song!

The bassoon has the capability to sound like a dramatic operatic tenor to a deep bass player of a jazz trio. Let’s demystify the bassoon through a few simple and straightforward steps that are a pathway toward sound excellence. Open repertoire

Bassoonist Monica Ellis is a founding member of the Grammy nominated wind quintet, Imani Winds, who in their 24th season, continuous to make ground-breaking art while maintaining a vigorous international touring schedule. Monica’s strong work ethic was instilled early on from her mother and father, the late jazz saxophonist, Clarence Oden. As the administrative director & tour manager for Imani Winds, and Co-Artistic Director for the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, she has a fulfilling leadership role within group. A passionate teacher, she is on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music and been a visiting professor or on faculty at The University of Chicago, The Hartt School (CT), Purchase (NY) & Brooklyn College Conservatories of Music, Mannes School of Music and The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program. Also, a renowned clinician, she has given master classes and solo recital performances across the country.

Telma Díaz, Bassoion
The Bassoon from Central America to the World

Bachelor of Music with a specialty in instrument, first Bassoon of the National Symphony Orchestra, bassoon teacher at the Superior School of Art of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala, Training and Music Language Teacher of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. She hosted and created the radio program “Díaz de Fagote” by Radio Faro Cultural 104.5 FM from April 4, 2017 to April 4, 2020. She carries out activities for the benefit of the bassoon students of Guatemala through the realization of Musical Camps, since 2016, carrying them out in Santiago Atitlán and Quetzaltenango. With guest teachers from different orchestras and universities in the United States, Costa Rica, and Israel, with the participation of students from the Central American region. She has participated as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra in the years 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018 and 2019, 2021 premiering two works by the composer Paulo Alvarado and Minor Estrada.