Bassoon With a View

Originally posted to FB on May 15, 2023.  Unplanned travel changes allowed us a brief drive through Altenburg, home of the now defunct East-West International Music Festival in which I played the summer of 2000. Economic abundance seems to continue to pass by this far-flung village. My German language skills were much better 23 years ago. The hotel for the orchestra has fallen into decay but the town's historic charm remains. My heart is filled as I recall the young woman who walked these streets, her dreams and goals. Incredible how different it all turned out. A year later the whole world changed, my aspirations with it. I was 19 turning 20 the summer I came to Germany, brave, naive, hopeful. I had no idea how capable I was, how powerful I could be in my own life, how narrow my vision was for possibilities beyond the one sacred path taught to conservatory students. There are so many words I wish had been spoken to me. Those are the words, the messages, the wisdom I give to

Originally posted to FB on August 19,m 2023 During the summers of 1995 and 1996, I was privileged to receive scholarship to attend New England Music Camp . This life-changing experience opened my eyes to the possibilities and opportunities available to me as a "pretty good" high school bassoonist. It is where I met Michael J. Burns who deeply inspired me as a young performer. I would subsequently attend the UNCG Honor Band for two years. One of which was lead by the great conductor of the "The President's Own" United States Marine Band Colonel John R. Bourgeois (my first exposure to military bands). NEMC was where I met Kara Dago-Clark and first learned of Manhattan School of Music . The ripple effect of these formative experiences cannot be quantified but highlight the long, circuitous, and adventure-filled road to the career I enjoy today. I'm so grateful to Howard Warner , who met me when he was an adjudicator for NYSSMA all-county in Perry, NY,

A reflection follows. Originally posted to FB February 29, 2024. Things I say to students: Always work with a metronome with subdivisions. Make a lot of reeds. Trust your work, accept that things will still go wrong. Sitting in an airport reflecting on what has honestly been a wildly chaotic week+ leading up to my departure for SHE Festival for a Kari Cruver Medina Sasquatch: Sightings premier and leading a panel discussion "De-bunking the 2-Path Career Myth." So. Many. Things. Have. Not. Gone. Smoothly. My rigidity does not like that. Last minute instrument switch. Trauma-drama at work. Challenging professional communication. TOUGH meetings. Long days, short time. Too many emotions. Some I could control, a lot I couldn't. Which is why the most fundamental skills musically, professionally, and emotionally have felt particularly crucial. 1 - I'm taking 31 reeds for a 5,000 1,500 foot elevation drop and ~30° temperature increase. Excessive? No. With 31 reeds, I am 1

A reflection follows: the story behind the music. Originally posted to FB March 14, 2024 In 2015, the Chinook Winds Great Falls Symphony were invited to film a 60-minute episode of the Emmy winning 11th & Grant with Eric Funk . I wish I could remember exactly how it all came to be. My iteration of the CW had worked hard for three years performing, engaging, touring, and energizing the community in Great Falls and around Montana. We were embraced by a devoted community, concert presenters, and wonderful audiences. Northeastern Arts Network, Montana Montana Performing Arts Consortium In addition to our invitation to film with 11th and Grant in the summer of 2015, we were also invited to present a recital at the International Horn Society in Los Angeles and International Double Reed Society in Japan! Outside our contracted activities, we spent the summer raising money in a grass roots campaign. We performed the National Anthem at a Great Falls Voyagers game and Electric City Spe

 A reflection follows. Originally posted to FB November 19, 2023 This memory popped up today.  At the time of this post I was working as a CNA in an assisted living facility in which we lived for "free" in exchange for 20-hours/week of honestly horrible work. (For those in this industry, GOD BLESS YOU!)  We did this to save money, pay off a mountain of debt, and allow me to be an "at home" mom, assuming there would be more children.  I had sold my bassoon, and performed only in the 23rd Army Band UTARNG.  I really believed my "career" was over and tried fervently to find peace and joy in the work of motherhood.  Ken was working full-time, nights and weekends, while completing his degree in auto mechanics.  It was an interesting time in our lives.  Morgan made a ton of developmental progress.  In retrospect, that one fact made the rest worth it.  This period of full-time motherhood/domesticity lasted about two years for me.   Towards the end of this chapter

You are hearing Solace  Sonata for bassoon and piano (complete) and an excerpt of Cantare No. 4 Salice. Watch the full interview with Roma Cafolla HERE. Some of Roma's works are published through Forton Music . The rest of her catalog, you can request directly from her: info@romacafolla.co.uk www.romacafolla.co.uk Music by Roma Cafolla: Bassoon Capri  Bassoon and Piano 6 Cantare  Bassoon and Piano Arcanum  Oboe/Bassoon/Piano Eyes  Flute/Oboe/Clarinet/Horn in F/Bassoon Playaround Series  Bassoon and Piano  Bks 1-3 Capers  Flute/Oboe/Bassoon Etudes Solo Bassoon Fantasia  1,2,3, Oboe/Bassoon/Piano Bassoon Concerto  Bassoon and String Orch Solace  Sonata for Bassoon and Piano Cardiff Bay  Bassoon and Piano Easy Duos for Fab Players Bassoon and Piano Intermediate Duos for Fab Players Irish Hornpipes  Bassoon and Piano Irish Reels for Bassoon and Piano Irish Set Dances for Bassoon and Piano Just Me! Books 1-4 Bassoon and Piano Tomorrow  Bassoon and Piano

 Again, this is not really a Bonanza but it is so fun to alliterate! I had my second lesson with Andrew Burn this week and learned that Switzerland changes Daylight Savings Time two weeks after we do in the United States - I had no idea.   Working intentionally to practice this past month revealed many things: it's challenging to carve out time for a "new" endeavor it's challenging to motivate myself for an endeavor at which I am not "good" it's challenging to think musically when I'm struggling with fundamentals FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTALS while the Baroque bassoon is a different instrument from my modern bassoon, and should be treated as such, the approach to learning is the same reeds... Andrew has been working to help me sort out my reeds.  I have three reeds that were supplied to my by Leslie Ross and a fourth reed which I purchased from a Baroque reedmaker in Canada.  None of these are easy to play on for various reasons, pitch and

Today I had my first lesson with bassoonist Andrew Burn.   http://burnbassoon.com/ https://bassoons.ch/about/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf0mkC65IarKTxt7ivhBHBQ https://www.survivingclassicalmusic.com/ https://www.patreon.com/burnbassoon/posts It was wonderful...and humbling...and a reminder of so many things I say to my students which are now being said to me: figure out your fingerings (so we can focus on music) "It all sounds the same..." Long tones Kovar studies But first, I need to back up to explain why I'm studying with a Swiss-based historical bassoonist over Zoom. In 2019 I ordered a Baroque bassoon from Leslie Ross, bassoon-maker .  Over the years, and because of a few less than positive experiences, it became obvious that I need to learn a lot more about performance practice.  The opportunity presented itself to have a bassoon built and I seized it!  It took about 6 months to receive the bassoon.  You can watch my unboxing and first horrible notes here: A