Sextet Reading in Studio Class

Former Student News - Nathan Koch

Congratulations to my former student, Nathan Koch, who recently completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts and became DR. Nathan Koch. It was amazing to be able to see and hear him again recently at the 2012 MQVC Bassoon Symposium.  He performed a very entertaining (and excellent) Papageno/Papagena duet from the Magic Flute with Kristin Wolfe Jensen and Eun-Hye Grace Choi.

His bio:

Nathan J. Koch served as the Teaching Assistant for the bassoon studio of Kristin Wolfe Jensen at the University of Texas at Austin for four years where received his DMA and MM. His freelance work has included bassoon and contrabassoon performances with the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera, Tulsa Symphony, Victoria Symphony, and the Wichita Grand Opera Orchestra. He has appeared as a featured soloist at the 2008 Kansas Bandmasters Association convention in Wichita, KS, and as a contrabassoon clinician for the online subscription service I Compete in Texas.  Festival appearances include the Round Top Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, Pierre Monteux School Orchestra, and the Festival de Música de Santa Catarina in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil. In addition to performing, Nathan is also an active freelance arranger, specializing in bassoon ensembles.  Several of his chamber music arrangements are available through TrevCo Music, including works by Franck, Beethoven, Vivaldi and Debussy. Nathan also received his BM, summa cum laude, from Wichita State University under the guidance of Nicolasa Kuster.

2011 Pacific Bassoon Holiday Studio Party

Pulled off another dinner for the students.  No real theme this year, due to how busy I am with planning the MQVC Symposium.  Someday, when Leona is older, I might be coordinated and collected enough to get back to the theme idea.

This year's Holiday Party menu:
Garlic Soup and Fontina Crostini
Glazed ham and mashed potatoes
Candied yams (special request from husband, Bert)
Sauteed chanterelles and green beans
Salad
dessert

The White Elephant gift exchange game was great fun this year.  No one cried.  The gag gift (a chicken ornament)  that got put back in the pile from last year was received with great joy by Bernadette, who actually collects chicken things.

Cane

Larry has identified the spot to take people for the cane expedition of the MCVC.

Lieurance Woodwind Quintet Music from the Americas

New Woodwind Quintet CD!

Flute: Frances Shelly; Andrea Banke, oboe; Suzanne Tirk, clarinet; Nicholas Smith, horn.

Bassoon:  Nicolasa Kuster on Mucziynski, Wilder and Harbison; Scott Oakes on Pitombeira and Valjean. 

The LWQ began recorded those works right before I left Wichita to come to my job at Pacific. The project was completed with bassoonist Scott Oakes, a University of the Pacific graduate who now teaches in Wichita.  

To order with free shipping, go to http://lieurancequintet.flyovermedia.net/

Chamber Music Competitions

There is always so much to try to cram into one semester of coaching.  Yes, there are the musical elements, but there are also the elements about the biz.  In a recent coaching I mentioned Fischoff and some of the students hadn't heard of it. Here's the link, guys, and also some links to some others.
http://www.fischoff.org/competition/
http://coleman.caltech.edu/competition.shtml
http://www.mya.org/chambercomp.php

There are a ton, and you can Google better than I can.  :)

For all my sax playing bassoon students

Are you checking this blog?  Thinking about buying this.

Ryan Simmons

Hanging out at Ryan Simmon's shop in San Diego. Here he shows off a french buffet bassoon from 1905. 

Dave Wells and Dead Elvis

So I have this amazing colleague here in Stockton.  Dave Wells has been working with me on the upcoming Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Bassoon Symposium for this past year after moving here from Wisconsin. Don't know what I would do without him, and we have a great time working together.  He wasn't so busy back when he took on the MQVC project, but now, I kind of can't believe how many interesting activities he is juggling. I am constantly impressed.   He's giving a talk at the American Musicological Society conference in San Francisco this weekend, AND...

performing Michael Daugherty's Dead Elvis tomorrow night at Sacramento State, where he was recently appointed the bassoon instructor.

http://davidawells.com/2011/10/dead-elvis/

I hope he gets a video, because I can't go!  I am out of town this week playing Mahler 9 with San Diego Symphony.