From Mindspillage
I am a bassoonist, violist, and arranger, and I perform around the DC area.
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Bassoon
I began playing bassoon by accident—after a scheduling mishap in junior high, I had to switch out of chorus into another class midsemester. Naturally, I chose band. Everyone else had already gotten started. The director handed me a bassoon and said "no one is playing this yet because I don't know know to play it either. You're smart, you read music, you'll figure it out." I did. Mostly.
After a few painful months in freshman year where I had to unlearn all the bad habits I taught myself, I eventually graduated from Stetson University with a BA in music in 2005, where I studied with Dr. Ashley Heintzen.
I currently perform with:
- Pan American Symphony Orchestra
- NIH orchestra
- Classical Revolution DC
and am open to other opportunities.
I have previously performed with:
- Orlando Opera
- Central Florida Lyric Opera
- Southern Winds
- Southern Harmonie
- Ormond Beach Symphony Orchestra
- Central Florida Winds
- Space Coast Winds
- Treasure Coast Symphony
- Community Band of Brevard
- CBDNA Southern Division Intercollegiate Band
- Florida Intercollegiate Band
- Stetson University Symphonic Band
- Stetson University Orchestra
- Brevard County Summer Fine Arts Theatre (low reeds: bassoon, bari sax, bass clarinet, Bb clarinet)
- a variety of chamber ensembles
Senior Recital
- Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 (Sergei Rachmaninoff)
- Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008 (J.S. Bach)
- Prelude
- Allemande
- Sarabande
- Gigue
- Sonate, Op. 168 (Camille Saint-Saëns)
- Trio for Flute, Bassoon, and Piano (Chick Corea)
- Sonatine, 1952 (Alexandre Tansman)
Junior Recital
- Piece for Oboe and Harp (Gabriel Fauré)
- Fantasy for Bassoon (Malcolm Arnold)
- Concerto for Bassoon (Carl Maria von Weber)
Viola
Like most violists, I started out on violin. (Also like most violists, I know all the jokes. And a few violinist jokes as well.) I have been playing since age 9, where I joined the elementary school strings program and played violin because my best friend did too.
Though by college I had decided the viola was just not weird enough and focused on the bassoon, I've continued to play as a secondary instrument. I've studied with Igor Markstein, Routa Kroumovitch-Gomez, and Jesus Alfonzo, but you shouldn't blame any of them for what you hear today. ;-)
I currently perform with:
- Pan American Symphony Orchestra
I have previously performed with:
- Stetson University Symphony Orchestra
- Stetson University New Music Chamber Ensemble
- Brevard County Summer Fine Arts Theatre
Composition, arrangement, and miscellaneous
I have a set of short audio tracks designed for looping here; most of these are quick-and-dirty, but if you want cleaned-up versions for your project, please let me know.
I arrange and compose other things too. One day, I may even have good recordings of some of it.
Other miscellaneous musical activities:
- I love sight-reading. If you need someone on short notice or want someone to read through pieces, I'll jump at the chance.
- I love improvising too (and have occasionally done so in public).
- I enjoy singing (I have a folksinger-ish alto) but have never had a lesson, so it's with more enthusiasm than skill.
- I play several other instruments less well, including violin (a little worse than viola, which since there are so many good violinists in the world means I rarely play), recorder (can play real music on it!), keyboard (awful but getting better), saxophone and clarinet (used to be OK but haven't played in ages), cello (total beginner).
- I know all the band dork jokes.