This weekend I had the great pleasure of performing one of my favorite pieces of music by one of my favorite composers. The Soldier’s Tale (Histoire de Soldat) is a 1918 theatrical work “to be read, played, and danced” (“lue, jouée et dansée”) set to music by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, which is based on a Russian folk tale, is a parable about a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil for a book that predicts the future of the economy. The music is scored for a septet of violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet (often played on trumpet), trombone, and percussion, and the story is told by three actors: the soldier, the devil, and a narrator, who also takes on the roles of minor characters. This concert was with the Oleander Chamber Orchestra in Wilmington, NC Saturday, January 16.

Bassoonists Lynn Hileman and Rachael Elliott (pictured below) performed a recital and master class at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Tuesday, December 8th at 4:30pm in Hood Recital Hall. Students of Saxton Rose performed in the master class and the recital program included the works below.

• Bounce (1988), Michael Daugherty
• Duo Sonata (1977), Sofia Gubaidulina
• Nocturnal Residents (1989), Chiel Meijering
• Lacrimosa (1991), Louis Andriessen
• Black (2008), Marc Mellits

More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/saxton/tags/tuple/
Tuple is dedicated to exploring and expanding the contemporary repertoire for two bassoons, with a virtuosic repertoire spanning Russian mystical, funk-inspired American, and other modern genres, from absurdist to minimalist, electronic to static.
http://tuplemusic.org/

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony on November 22, 24, 2009 including Russell Peck’s tone poem, Peace Overture, which was inspired by the struggle for peace in the Middle East. Brahms’ melancholy Schicksalslied (Song of Fate) for chorus and orchestra expresses mankind’s timeless struggle between destiny and fate. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem. Robert Moody, conductor

One of four UNCSA School of Music performance venues, the Judy and Bill Watson Chamber Music Hall was designed by renowned acoustician Rein Pirn and architects Calloway Johnson Moore West. The 292-seat hall was designed specifically for chamber music.

The shape of the Hall echoes the curves of a violin and was designed with acoustic curtains that can be manipulated to change its acoustic properties. A special "high volume, low velocity" HVAC system was designed to minimize ambient noise.

This complex serves as both performance and teaching venue, and includes two new large rehearsal rooms, a lobby, box office, green room, dressing rooms, administrative offices and faculty teaching studios.

I had the pleasure of performing solo recitals, giving master classes and teaching lessons at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana last week. I had a terrific time working with both bassoon studios and with Professors Keith Sweger and Timothy McGovern. These are two very strong programs. The recital programs inlcuded:

• Vivaldi: Concerto for bassoon in d minor, F.VIII, No. 5
• Telemann: Fantasie for solo bassoon No. 1 in C major, No. 2 in d minor and No. 3 in d minor
• Hersant: Hopi for solo bassoon
• Hersant: Niggun for solo bassoon
• Mozart: Sonata, K. 292 for two bassoons

In addition to the other grants, scholarships, and federal loans available to students, the following are being offered for the 2010-2011 academic year:

Bassoon Studio Graduate Assistantship
The School of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts offers the Master of Music and Professional Artist Certificate for Bassoon. The bassoon assistantship is available beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year. Responsibilities include: Perform with the graduate woodwind quintet; 3 hours per week determined by professor; monitoring reed hours. Outside performance opportunities may include work with the Winston-Salem Symphony, other regional orchestras and community outreach performances.

Graduate Tuition Reductions
Graduate Tuition Reductions cover the full cost of tuition. Tuition reductions are awarded based on the recommendation of the School of Music faculty.

Additional Awards
Music scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis, based on the recommendations of the School of Music faculty.

Download the flyer with assistantship and other scholarship information:
http://www.saxtonrose.com/temp/UNCSA_Bassoon2010.pdf

For information on how to apply:
http://www.saxtonrose.com/teaching/apply/

NOTE: For full consideration for scholarships or assistantship, applicants should audition by February 16th, 2010.

Contact me for more information or:

Steve LaCosse
Interim Dean for Graduate Studies
Telephone: (336) 631-1537
Email: lacosses@uncsa.edu
Online: www.uncsa.edu

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts was founded as the nation’s first public conservatory for the arts, dedicated entirely to the intensive training and career development of aspiring artists in the performing, visual and moving image arts. Degrees are available at the undergraduate, masters, post-masters, and high school level.

On September 12th, 13th and 15th I performed as principal bassoon of the Winston-Salem Symphony a program which included Theofanidis’ Rainbow Body, Tchaikovsky’s Suite from Swan Lake and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 3. Robert Moody conducted and the piano soloist was Terrence Wilson. Read the review here.

An article appeared recently in the North Carolina newspaper YES! Weekly from an interview I gave writer Keith Barber. A link to the article is here.

The following is Saxton Rose’s performance and event schedule for the 2009/2010 season. It is subject to change so if you have questions about attending an event, please contact me.
Map to University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

September 12, 13, 15:

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony including Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 3 and Suite from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky.

October 2, 4, 6:

Performances with Piedmont Opera of Hansel and Gretel, More information

October 10:

Performance with the Winston-Salem Symphony and pianist Awadagin Pratt. 7:30 pm Reynolds Auditorium.

October 27, 28:

Solo recital and master class at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Contact Keith Sweger ksweger@bsu.edu for more information.

October 29, 30:

Solo recital and Masterclass at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Contact Timothy McGovern tsmcgove@uiuc.edu for more information.

November 22, 24:

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony including Peace Overture for Orchestra by Peck; Schicksalslied (Song of Fate) by Brahms; Requiem by Lloyd Webber

December 5:

Woodwind Day at UNCSA. Bassoon master class, reed making seminar, bassoon ensemble concert and a performance with the UNCSA woodwind faculty including Beethoven’s Duo for Bassoon and Clarinet with Alexander Fiterstein and a solo performance. Download the flyer or contact me for more information.

December 8:

Guest artist recital and master class at UNCSA featuring the bassoon duo Tuple, Rachael Elliott and Lynn Hileman. 4:30pm in Hood Recital Hall. Please contact me for more information.

December 15, 16, 21:

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony of Handel’s Messiah

January 16:

Performance of Stravinsky’s Histoire du soldat/The Soldier’s Tale with Oleander Chamber Orchestra in Wilmington, NC.

February 5:

Performance as soloist with UNCSA contemporary music ensemble nu of Philippe Hersant’s Huit pièces pour basson et ensemble instrumental. Ransom Wilson conducting.

February 6, 7 and 9:

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony of Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 10 in E minor, op. 93 and Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F Major

February 13:

Performance of Mejunje del fagobongo for bassoon and bongo by Alfonso Fuentes; Latin Love Op. 82 by Miguel del Aguila for wind quintet and piano; El Corazón Delator (The Accusing Heart) by Eduardo Morales-Caso for bassoon, flute and clarinet. Tadeu Coelho, flute; Joseph Robinson, oboe; Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet; David Jolley, horn; John R. Beck, bongo. 7:30 p.m., Watson Chamber Music Hall at UNCSA.

February 15:

Solo recital and Masterclass at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, IN. Contact William Ludwig wludwig@indiana.edu for more information.

February 16:

Solo recital and Masterclass at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. Contact Douglas Spaniol dspaniol@butler.edu for more information.

February 25:

Keith Sweger, bassoon professor at Ball State University recital and master class at UNCSA. 3:45pm master class in Hood Recital Hall, 8pm recital in Crawford Hall. Please contact me for more information.

March 13, 14, 10:

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony including Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F Major by Bach, Concerto for Mandolin by Thile

March 27:

Solo recital at UNCSA. “Guided by Voices: Music for Bassoon Inspired by Song” Program includes works by Phillipe Hersant, de Falla, Donizetti and Brahms. With pianist Karen Beres, violist Sheila Browne and soprano Elizabeth Pacheco Rose. 7:30 p.m., Watson Chamber Music Hall at UNCSA

April 9, 11, 13:

Performances with Piedmont Opera of Turandot, More information

April 10:

Performance with the Winston-Salem Symphony and Chris Botti, trumpet

April 15:

Solo recital and master class at Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Contact Monte Perkins monte.perkins@lawrence.edu for more information.

April 16:

Solo recital and master class at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Contact Marc Vallon vallon@wisc.edu for more information.

April 19:

Solo recital and master class at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. Contact Jefferson Campbell jcampbel@d.umn.edu for more information.

April 26-May 1:

Teaching residency at the Universidad de Costa Rica in San José. Solo recital as part of the ‘Martes por la Noche’ concert series April 27th. Contact Isabel Jeremis at fagotisa@hotmail.com for more information.

May 16, 17:

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony of Mahler’s Symphony no. 5

May 20:

Performance of the Mozart Concerto for Bassoon with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá

May 18-22:

Judge for the Bassoon Competition in Bogotá, Colombia as part of the ‘Encuentro Nacional de Fagotistas’ sponsored by the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia. Master classes May 17, 18, 19, 20, 2010

May 23-26:

Performance of Vivaldi Bassoon Concerto with Orquesta Sinfónica de Caldas in Manizales, Colombia. Teaching residency, solo recital.

June 16:

Performance with Dark in the Song, a new bassoon ensemble at The White Mule, a music bar in Columbia, SC. The performance will feature adventurous new music for amplified bassoon ensemble by Jacob Ter Veldhuis, David Lang, David Smooke and Zoe Keating.

June 22:

Performance with Dark in the Song, a new bassoon ensemble at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Norman, OK. The group is Peter Kolkay, Michael Harley, Rachael Elliott, Lynn Hileman and myself. The recital will feature works by Jacob Ter Veldhuis, David Lang, David Smooke and Zoe Keating.

July 18-23:

Faculty teaching residency and performances as principal bassoon at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Summer Music Festival. Music of Wagner, Mahler, Strauss with Lawrence Renes, conductor. More information

July 24-31:

Performances and teaching residency at the Quartz Mountain Music Festival and Orchestra Academy. More information

From July 19-26 I visited Birmingham, England to attend the International Double Reed Conference. The IDRS conference is held during the summer once a year, each time in a different location throughout the world. This year’s event in Birmingham marked the first conference in the UK for 20 years and was a terrific success. In addition to performing at this year’s conference, I assisted in the videography of performances and master classes for publication on IDRS.org, the website of the International Double Reed Society for which I serve as assistant editor. Look for the new videos soon at http://www.idrs.org/multimedia/.