Bassoon Talk

Peninsula Symphony bassoon vacancy

2011-08-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

The position of Principal Bassoon in the Peninsula Symphony will be open beginning late in the 2011-12 Season. The Peninsula Symphony is a community orchestra, performing pairs of concerts with internationally recognized soloists at the Flint Center in Cupertino and San Mateo Performing Arts Center (now under renovation) as well as at Stanford University, the Fox Theater in Redwood City, and other locations on the San Francisco Peninsula

We have tentatively scheduled an audition for the evening of Monday, October 3, 2011 . Candidates will be asked to play a solo selection of their choice and four orchestral excerpts. If you are interested in participating, please email for further information. Please include a brief list of your previous orchestral experience. I will send the complete audition info (including sheet music for the four orchestral excerpts) and schedule a time for your audition. For further information about the Peninsula Symphony, please go to peninsulasymphony.org.

Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director

Concert May 13, 2011

2011-04-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
I am posting this to let you all know that my dad ( Rufus Olivier) will be performing at the Dinklespiel auditorium at Stanford University on Friday May 13, 2011.@ 8 p.m

The Woodwind Quintet’s program will include Darius Milhaud’s La Cheminée du roi René, Robert Muczynski’s Duos for Flute and Clarinet, Paul Hindemith’s Kleine Kammermusk, and other selections.

$5.00 students
$10.00 general
$9.00 Seniors
General seating

Hope to see you there!
His first born:-)

Fox Bassoon For Sale

2010-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

My student wishes to sell his Fox Bassoon, model 601 it has a great sound and scale. The finish is black lacquer, the keys are gold which makes this horn stunning to look at! Direct all inquiries to Phil Nash at: lowintense@hotmail.com ....RO

mailto:lowintense@hotmail.com................Rufus

KRAPP’S ENDGAME, by Shinji Eshima

2009-12-29T22:51:00.000-08:00

SHINJI ESHIMA.

Recently I had the great pleasure of hearing a great new work for bassoon, it was not enough that the piece was great but also two great local musicians and good friends were responsible for the project. The great bassoonist Steve Dibner commissioned and performed the latest work of the great bass player and composer Shinji Eshima, both bay area musicians. "KRAPP'S ENDGAME" for bassoon,string quartet, and optional Buddhist monk was composed for Mr.Dibner who asked for a piece that somehow expressed the writings of Samuel Beckett, specifically his one-man play "Krapp's Last Tape". In this play, a man is reviewing his life through recordings he has made of himself on each of his birthdays, chronicling his achievements and goals throughout the years. He comes to the conclusion that instead, he should have spent his life experiencing love and human touch. The last section of Mr. Eshima's work is inspired by Allen Ginsberg's poem Song." The following is an excerpt:

The weight of the world

is love.

Under the burden

of solitude,

under the burden

of dissatisfaction

the weight,

the weight we carry

is love.

This is Mr. Eshima's offering as a "solution" to Krapp"s circumstance.

The opening statement in the piece is marked "Crying despair" this marking should give you a clue to how powerful the work is, I was mesmerized by the emotional content of the work, Mr. Dibner played with such passion that he almost had me in tears, this does not let down thru most of the piece, Mr. Eshima makes use of the wide range of the bassoon effectively and passionately, bending the high register and alternating fingerings for a great effect. Just when you think nothing else can happen all of a sudden the quartet starts to chant while they play, all of theses effects are not gimmicks but help tell a story. This is a deep work almost spiritual. The work is accessible to most advanced bassoon players on a technical level, however on a emotional level one may have to have a bit of life experiences to get the most out of it. I highly recommend this work. Bravo and thank you Mr. Eshima and Mr. Dibner for this new exciting bassoon piece.....Rufus Olivier

You can find this piece at: trevcomusic@msn.com www.trevcomusic.com

SHINJI ESHIMA, a graduate of Stanford University and of the Juilliard School, he is currently a double-bassist in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and associate principal with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. He is on the faculty at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a composer, he composed the music for the 450 Geary Theater's production of "The Snow Queen," which ran for three seasons. The San Francisco Examiner described his music as "ranging from bucolic pipings to full scale ecclesiastical gothic..." In 1995, he was commissioned to write a piece commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing for which he wrote "August 6th." This premiered at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco on that anniversary. He composed two hymns for the Buddhist Churches of America which were published and were recorded by opera singers Elizabeth Bishop and Hector Velasquez. He also released a CD of his music based on Buddhist gathas. In 2000 the Ensemble en Sol in Mexico commissioned him to write a chamber piece which received its San Francisco premiere at a Donald Runnicles and Friends performance. In 2001 the percussion ensemble Adesso, premiered his "Generations" at the Old First Church. In 2002 Gary Karr premiered "Grat-etude" and Liben Publishers published another solo bass work "If it's tuesday it must be up-bow," a tribute to his former teacher, David Walter, along with a CD recorded by the composer. His trio "Despot's Rage a Slave's Revenge" for Violoncello, Marimba and Piano, composed for famed Bay Area 'cellist Emil Miland received its premiere in 2003 at Old First Church. His Trio C-E-B, "The Toadfish," written for the TRIAD Trio, Including Carey Bell, clarinet and Bryndon Hassman, piano as well as Emil Miland, had its premiere at the Noe Valley Chamber Series. His scores for Liebe Wetzel’s Lunatique Fantastique’s productions of “Nutcracker, Nutz and Boltz,” “Chicken Stock” and “E.O.9066” are performed at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. In 2008 ERM Media selected his score for “August 6th” for string orchestra to be recorded by the Millennium Symphony and conducted by Robert Ian Winston. This CD, a compilations of several composers entitled “Made in the Americas” was released in 2009. Most recently, his piece “Krapp’s Endgame,” commissioned and composed for Steven Dibner, premiered also at Noe Valley in a benefit performance for the Daniel Pearl Foundation, and has subsequently been published by TrevCo Music in December 2009.

Bay Area Musicians Mourn Tragic Death of Bassoonist

2009-06-30T13:35:00.001-07:00

Bay Area Musicians Mourn Tragic Death of Bassoonist
By Rufus Olivier Jr.

The San Francisco Bay Area music community recently lost one of their own when bassoonist David Bartolotta died tragically in a car accident on June 13th while visiting a friend in North Carolina. He was 61 years old.

David was a member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra for over 30 years and formerly held the position of music librarian there for over 10 years. David frequently performed with the San Francisco Opera, played with various chamber groups and recorded in the studios of George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch. He graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and honorably served a stint in the U.S. Navy.

But David’s life was filled with more than music. His friends and colleagues were awed by the incredible, impromptu feasts that David was so eager to prepare in between music services. The aroma of his favorite ingredient, garlic, often signaled to others that a magical Bartolotta creation would soon delight the palate. Friends remarked that David was a perfect candidate to host a cooking show on network television; because his wit, humor and timing were uncanny.

Although David was not technically a chef, his ties with top Bay Area chefs were unique. They consulted David for advice about the flavors, texture and safety of specific mushrooms being considered for their own culinary creations. David was a mushroom expert and beloved member of the Mycological Society of San Francisco; and he was routinely contacted by law enforcement authorities when local mushroom poisonings occurred. He was passionate about mushrooms – especially foraging for them and exploring new ways to enjoy them in his own cooking.

As a musician, ‘chef’, mushroom expert, military veteran and friend, David will be fondly remembered by many as a man who spent his life in the limelight, but who allowed that light to shine brilliantly for others.

Davids blog can be seen at:http://www.blogger.com/profile/16948775312280463961

A Visit with Jazz Bassoon Great Paul Hanson

2009-03-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

Last Summer I had the privilege of having Paul Hanson over for a chat and exchange of ideas. Paul has a great amount of energy and spirit. Ive decided to publish our visit in the form of an interview. Paul is a real bassoonist playing jazz, that is to say his sound and the way he gets around the horn is amazing, this is not just a passing hobby. Paul is in Japan playing with Cirque du soleil. If you get a chance you must check out his recordings. Rufus Olivier

Here we go:
RO: what's it like to be the first bassoonist in a Cirque show.

PH:It is totally amazing. I did play a bassoon part in a previous show (SALTIMBANCO) but that was only a short part. This role was offered to me as a bassoonist because they had
scouted me and decided to put me in the band. My audition included playing english horn,tin whistle, bass clarinet, clarinet and bassoon but it seemed like to me that they really wanted bassoon the whole time. My wife (also a bassoonist)remembers them asking me in 2006 (in Buenos Aires) if I would want to go
to Tokyo. They by then had seen my audition DVD. They are always looking
for musicians who can improvise and play any styles.

RO: what's it like to be part of the creation process of a Cirque show
PH:It was interesting but too long. Too much time sitting around in Montreal at their world headquarters in the winter playing 5 tunes a day and then doing nothing much else. The director (Francois Girard, THE RED VIOLIN) wanted us there to help inspire the gymnasts and acrobats. I suppose we did-we also had to do Yoga and movement classes which I guess were helpful. We did try a lot of music eventually and as a band we tried different approaches and
arrangements all the time. Every one of us came up with ideas and lines that ended up in the show.

RO: what's it like to perform day in and day out this show.
PH:It is very incredible-I wish everyone could see this fantastic show (I'll put the show URL on the bottom of this article)The music is very central to the show. As musicians-we are seen and heard individually a lot more than on most Cirque shows. Our show sound design is in surround sound (170 speakers in the house) and there's a lot of attention to the soloists. Our violinist (Paul Lazar of Paris) and I are featured a lot-we kind of parallel our soprano and tenor singers.
The whole band appears twice onstage at the end of the show-for the trapeze act where we are set behind the trapeze act on a parallel 40 feet in the air-and at the finale where we come out of the stage on a riser and then we go on a revolving ring.So we are seen much more than on most Cirque shows. That is so cool! The endurance of playing this show is an issue. The part was designed around things I do so naturally they wrote a lot of english horn-type parts way up high (I play parts up to Eb and often in solos go to high G). I just recently decided to switch
bocals for a number because the main bocal was sharp in the tenor register. Now I have solved that problem by switching bocals and I'm glad I did. During Creation I never thought my part was hard-but during weeks of performance I learned that it is quite a part endurance-wise.

RO: what's it like to do what you do (play jazz/fusion/world music/classical) on bassoon with your special equipment (FRAP microphone, effects) with Cirque.
PH:It's very special to me. They really wanted a combination of my musical energy, creativity and bassoon playing for this gig. They don't even know at Cirque that it is totally uncommon to have a FRAP microphone for the bassoon! To them it's just like seeing a violinist with a pickup-but they quickly learned that the quality of sound I get with the mic is perfect for such a big venue (2100 seats). I do have an overhead mic but it's not the primary sound source of the bassoon for them-the overhead helps maintain an acoustic feeling when they need it. When I go onstage I have a wireless setup that works well too. They have some of the most advanced sound equipment imaginable and it's very complex. They have worked on my sound and my wife Cynthia Hanson who you all know was most impressed with the quality of the sound. Without getting too technical-we are all linked by a click track and time code and different scenes that are maintained by our programmer (our guitarist) and managed by our bandleader. We hear our mix through in-ear monitors. As a band-we really don't like having to play with backing tracks but this is the modern way Cirque does everything-we're just glad that you can also hear the band too atop the pre-recorded orchestra. Isn't that a trip? They go to Romania to record an orchestra and that orchestra is played 380 times a year as backing tracks for us! It's a weird business isn't it?.... Oh well.

RO: what's it like working and living in Tokyo

PH:Fantastic. Sometimes we miss things like Honey Nut Cheerios and the Napa Valley, the Redwoods and all that wonderful Bay Area stuff.
But this is a fantastic adventure and there's so much going on in Tokyo. We have gotten out in the summer to the coast and the beaches
are wonderful. Cirque Du Soleil has their own school for performer's children and our daughter Bella attends the school-she's thriving.
Our son Zach also goes to school-the international preschool 3 blocks away. It's a very nice neighborhood that Cirque put us up in-we
are staying in a wonderful condo with a great view of Tokyo Bay.

RO: what are your hopes and dreams for the future there.
PH:My hopes are that we continue to get to know people here and the town and get Cynthia into some playing situations too! The kids
love going to Disneyland as often as they want and they are starting to make friends. I hope to stay here awhile but I'm not sure
exactly how long that will be. I hope that when I leave there is another hungry bassoonist who wants this fantastic job!

http://japan.jazzbassoon.com/
http://www.zed.co.jp/home_en.php

Alice Benjamin and David Granger in concert Oct. 18th

2008-10-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

Alice Benjamin and David Granger first
began performing as duo soloist in 1998
with three performences of the Vanhal
Concerto for Two Bassoons with the San
Francisco Concerto Orchestra. They have
since performed the Vanhal with theUniversity of California, Davis, SymphonyOrchestra in 1999 and with the Camellia Symphony Orchestra in 2000.
Tree Talk began performong in recital with Ellen Wassermann, pianist, with appearances in Santa Rosa, at the University of California,Davis, and for the incline Village ChamberMusic Society. Future plans include chamber music for two bassoons with other instruments.

"The Soloist were flawless." - William Glackin, The Sacramento Bee

Concert: October 18, 8:00 pm

Trinity Chamber Concerts

2320 Dana Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 // 510.549.3864

Available for Recital and Performence with Symphony Orchestra

Please contact:Alice Benjamin at arundodonax@sbcglobal.net

Prokofiev and His World

2008-09-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

By BARRYMORE LAURENCE SCHERERAugust 7, 2008; Page D7
It is safe to say that Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953) is among the most popular 20th-century composers -- indeed, "beloved" might not be putting too fine a point on it. This emotional connection has rested to some extent on the broad appeal and consequent familiarity of a generous handful of works. Most famous among them is "Peter and the Wolf" (1936), a symphonic dramatization of an old Russian folk tale with a narration that explains to the audience the different instruments of the orchestra. But in the composer's hit parade, Peter and his lupine predator rub shoulders with other masterpieces: the Haydnesque "Classical" symphony, First Violin Concerto and Third Piano Concerto (all 1917); the tartly comedic opera "The Love for Three Oranges" (1921); the dramatic Fifth Symphony (1945); the powerful opera "War and Peace" (1941-52); film scores for "Lieutenant Kizhe" (1933) and "Alexander Nevsky" (1938); and of course the ubiquitous ballets "Romeo and Juliet" (1935-36) and "Cinderella" (1940-44).
Regardless of their well-deserved popularity, however, these works form only the tip of Prokofiev's mighty oeuvre. On the consecutive weekends of Aug. 8 to 10 and Aug. 15 to 17, audiences at the celebrated Bard Music Festival, in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., will have the opportunity to examine Prokofiev's compositions in the context of the tumultuous times in which he produced them. Characteristically, the selections will also include familiar and rare music by a wide range of Prokofiev's contemporaries, among them Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Reinhold Glière, Nikolay Myaskovsky, Aleksandr Scriabin, John Alden Carpenter, Francis Poulenc, George Gershwin and Vernon Duke (the Russian-born Vladimir Dukelsky).
"Prokofiev inherited a combination of Rimsky-Korsakov's folk-inspired late-Romanticism and the esoteric mystical symbolism of Scriabin but decided that the modern demanded something different," observes Leon Botstein, the festival's co-director, who will be conducting the American Symphony Orchestra in performances of major works by Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Stravinsky and others. "He was fired by the idea to write great music for the masses. And without sacrificing the irony and sarcastic humor that we associate with modernity, Prokofiev succeeded because he is the most successful tunesmith among the modernists."
Like his younger contemporary and, in posterity's eyes, his rival, Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-75), Prokofiev is firmly identified with Soviet Russia under the stringent regime of Joseph Stalin -- coincidentally, Stalin and Prokofiev died on the same day. Yet one of the themes of Bard's Prokofiev "rediscovery" is illustrated on the cover of this year's program, a handsome photograph of the natty young composer striding along a Chicago street during his sojourn in America.
From 1918 -- when the Russian Revolution promised to make things difficult for creative folk at home -- to 1922, Prokofiev lived in America and summered in Europe, hoping to establish himself in the U.S. as a composer and concert pianist. Unfortunately, while he enjoyed moderate success, writing his "Love for Three Oranges" on commission from the Chicago Lyric Opera, he was unable to unseat Stravinsky from his position at the head of music's vanguard, and he could not escape the overshadowing presence of Rachmaninoff as a pianist.
For several more years Prokofiev tried his luck in the West, settling first in Germany and then in Paris, before going back to the U.S.S.R. for good in 1936. Hence the Bard Festival program opens with an essay that sets the themes for the two weekends: "The One Who Returned" for the first, and "The Faustian Bargain" for the second. Both the themes and the concerts that illustrate them promise fascinating investigations not only of Prokofiev's music -- in the context of music by major Russian and non-Russian contemporaries -- but of the enigmatic personality of the composer himself.
Simon Morrison of Princeton University, a Prokofiev scholar and the editor of this year's festival book, "Prokofiev and His World" (Princeton University Press), notes that "one of the very important things that we will tease out during the festival is Prokofiev's spirituality as a composer. Throughout his career, Prokofiev's strong commitment to Christian Science [which he began to study in 1924, after moving to southern Germany] conditioned his outlook. Following his fateful relocation to the Soviet Union in 1936, the adjustments to Soviet aesthetic doctrine that he was obliged to make were fairly easy for him on a conceptual level, because certain political ideals -- of transcendence and optimism and spiritual uplift -- resonated with spiritual ideals to which he was already long committed."
As examples of this positive outlook influencing his musical aesthetic, Dr. Morrison cites Prokofiev's original -- and suppressed -- happy ending to "Romeo and Juliet," which, with the agreement of the composer's heirs, Dr. Morrison resurrected. (Having received its world premiere performances by the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Bard Summerscape festival in July, the production, choreographed by Mr. Morris, begins a world tour this fall.)
Another example is the wartime Fifth Symphony, which, according to Dr. Morrison, Prokofiev himself described in Soviet media and in an interview for Time magazine as being about spiritual uplift, about striving to overcome obstacles, about striving to attain a higher form of human experience. "That is what Communist idealogy preached under Stalin, and that is very much what Prokofiev believed he could achieve through his faith."
Mention of the Fifth Symphony brings up another aspect of Prokofiev's oeuvre in comparison with that of Shostakovich, namely the expressive aspects of their music. When Shostakovich writes about wartime horrors, for example in his Seventh ("Leningrad") and 13th ("Baba Yar") symphonies, the notes forcefully convey his anguish over the events. Conversely, Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony conveys more a sense of the composer as observer and ultimately as commentator.
"Shostakovich's music is confessional; Prokofiev's is not," observes Dr. Botstein. "It is music as craft. In Shostakovich's case, the craft is subordinate to the need to use music as a personal vehicle. For Prokofiev, the issue is how to adapt craft to the culture of political expectation.
"In Prokofiev's music the person of the composer is at one step removed, which is why you can't unravel the music to find the man. But you have to understand the man to understand why his music takes the shape it does, and why, despite his openness to a variety of influences in Russia, Europe and America, Prokofiev's music always has a recognizable consistency -- a simplicity, a transparency, an absence of pretension, an absolutely brilliant use of form. Prokofiev is enigmatic, but he's original from day one."Mr. Scherer writes about classical music for the Journal. His current book is "A History of American Classical Music" (Sourcebooks).

Y.P.S.O. Needs Bassoonist

2008-08-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

David Ramadanoff

This is a great opportunity for young Bassoonist in the Bay Area

We have openings for 2008-2009 for the following instruments: oboe, French horn, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, tuba, percussion, viola, violin.

Auditions are August 26 and 28, and Sept. 3, 4-9 pm. Please download an application form and return it by mail, fax or email with your date/time preference.

The following sections are full: cello, bass, flute. Please contact us in April to audition for the 2009-2010 season.

Young People's Symphony Orchestra (YPSO) is California's oldest youth orchestra and the second oldest youth orchestra in the United States.

P.O. Box 5593, Berkeley, CA 94705Contact: Phone (510) 849-YPSO(9776), Fax (510) 654-0274

ypsomusic@yahoo.com

Local Composer Tim Silva Gets Hearing

2008-08-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Come and experience an evening concert featuring the music of Tim Silva. The program includes incredible performers from all over California!

Saturday, August 23rd
8pm
Cal State University, East Bay: Recital Hall (Music building, rm.1055)
Tickets: $15 adults, $5 students/children/senior
Parking: free!
Light refreshments will be served!
25800 Carlos Bee Blvd.Hayward, CA 94542-3064

program info and free audio available at: http://www.liquidsong.com/

Leave Chopins Heart Alone

2008-07-30T00:20:00.001-07:00

Poland: Leave Chopin's Heart Alone

The heart of Polish-born composer Frederic Chopin rests in the Church of the Holy Cross, in Warsaw, Poland.

(WARSAW, Poland) — Like a religious relic, the heart of composer Frederic Chopin rests in a Warsaw church, untouched since it was preserved in alcohol after his death in 1849 at age 39. And that's how the Polish government wants to keep it.
Scientists want to remove the heart for DNA tests to see if Chopin actually died from cystic fibrosis and not tuberculosis as his death certificate stated. But the government says that's not a good reason to disturb the remains of a revered native son.
The heart lies in a jar sealed inside a pillar at Warsaw's Holy Cross Church _ and the only time it has been removed was for safekeeping during World War II.
Before it was returned in 1951, a doctor examined the heart and found it perfectly preserved in an alcohol that many think is cognac. Chopin died in France, where his body is buried, but he asked that his heart be sent to his homeland.
Cystic fibrosis, an incurable genetic disease, was not discovered until many decades after Chopin's death, and the scientists who want to examine the heart say many of his symptoms match that illness, including respiratory infections, recurrent fevers, delayed puberty and infertility.
A spokeswoman for the Culture Ministry, Iwona Radziszewska, told The Associated Press on Thursday that ministry officials consulted experts and decided that "this was neither the time to give approval, nor was it justified by the potential knowledge to be gained."
One of the experts consulted, the head of the National Frederic Chopin Institute in Warsaw, Grzegorz Michalski, argued the scientists failed to demonstrate that they had sufficient expertise carrying out such DNA tests or that the chances of success were high.
He said the "dominant view" of Chopin experts "is that the proposed research is going to serve first and foremost to satisfy the curiosity of the project's authors," while offering no "new knowledge that would have a meaningful impact on the assessment of the figure and work of Chopin."
One of the scientists seeking to do the tests, geneticist Michal Witt, acknowledged that DNA testing might not prove whether Chopin was afflicted with cystic fibrosis or not.
Part of the uncertainty, he said, comes from not knowing what condition the heart is in after so many years in alcohol. But he said his team was made up of experts, including forensic molecular biologist Tadeusz Dobosz, fully capable of carrying out the study.
Witt believes authorities rejected the testing because of the relic-like status of the heart of Chopin, the musical genius claimed as one of Poland's greatest treasures.
"I'm sure that played a major role, and it's understandable," Witt said.
Chopin was born in 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, a village near Warsaw, to a Polish mother and French father. From an early age, he suffered frail health and nasal and lung infections typical of cystic fibrosis. He was so weak at times that he had to be carried off stage after concerts, and in his later years he taught piano while lying down.
Witt co-authored a paper in the Journal of Applied Genetics citing other symptoms indicating the possibility of cystic fibrosis. At age 22, Chopin complained facial hair wouldn't grow on one side of his face, a sign of delayed puberty. He also never fathered any children despite sexual relations with several women, including a famous relationship with the French writer George Sand, a mother of two children by her husband.
Though Chopin's death certificate says he died of "tuberculosis of the lungs and the larynx," the doctor who treated him, Jean Cruveilhier, said the death was caused "by a disease not previously encountered," according to historical documents cited by Witt in his paper.
Witt believes it is of more than just academic interest to investigate whether Chopin died of cystic fibrosis.
"It matters for those who are affected with cystic fibrosis, and with any other debilitating chronic disorder," he said. "Can you believe what message you send saying that you might become a genius even if you have a disorder like that? And it is a question worth answering if possible."
Associated Press writer Zuzia Danielski contributed to this report.

Friends In Low Places

2008-05-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Check out this fun concert featuring Tuba great Zac Spellman, The Bay Bones and bassoon players Lori and Mike Garvey and Mike Cooke playing Bugler's Holiday as a bassoon trio! Sounds fun!

Symphony Parnassus performs Beethoven's 9th

2008-05-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

Quinteto Latino on the Move!

2008-05-19T23:24:00.001-07:00

WELCOME! BIENVENIDO!

Quinteto Latino blends the vibrant colors and vigorous rhythms of Latin American music with the sumptuous voices of the wind quintet: flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon. Whether exploring new twists on traditional folk songs or premiering works by living composers, these five musicians perform with impeccable artistry and infectious energy - educating, enriching, and entertaining listeners of all ages and backgrounds.

Founded in 2001 by French hornist Armando Castellano, this unique ensemble is passionately dedicated to a dual mission: to expand the cultural boundaries of classical music, and to make that music available, relevant, and inspiring to entirely new audiences.

Keith Underwood Master Class

2008-05-12T01:51:00.001-07:00

keithunderwood.org

ANNOUNCING A MASTERCLASS
BY FLUTIST
KEITH UNDERWOOD
SUNDAY MAY 18, 2008
All Instrumentalist welcome

SUNDAY MAY 18, 2008
9:30 AM TO 5:30 PM
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA HOUSE CHORUS ROOM*

Keith Underwood is an internationally acclaimed performer and teacher. He is well known for his innovative teaching with particular emphasis on sound production and body awareness. He works regularly with instrumentalists from many major American orchestras. Keith has also taught and performed extensively in Japan, Europe, Mexico and Brazil.

PERFORMER RATE $100.00
AUDITOR, FULL DAY $60.00
AUDITOR, HALF DAY $30.00
(Morning session 9:30 AM- 1:00 PM
Afternoon session 2:00 PM- 5:30 PM)

For registration, please contact Julie McKenzie at jewelflute@aol.com, or at 415 566-4454
auditors may also register at the door at 9:00AM
*Enter at Opera house North stage door, Franklin and Fulton Streets

Summer Chamber Music Study

2008-05-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

There is an opportunity for a few students of 15-25 age group to study the Chamber Music Repertoire (mostly WW quintets) in Southern California for two weeks from July 20 to August 2. They have never been short of bassoons before but seem to be this year. This shortage may result in half to full scholarships if you apply. You would be responsible for getting yourself out there.

Audition requirements for Bassoon:
(you may send CD/DVD/or MP3)
Mozart Bassoon Concerto K.191
Mvt. 1: mm35-71
Mvt. 2: mm7-30
Hindewith WW Quintet (Kleine Kammermusik)
Mvt.1 Letter D to 4 meas. after D
and letter F to 4 bars after F

Feel free to contact Ken Munday (the bassoon instructor) 818-970-6079 or e-mail mundayjk@yahoo.com, Steve Fraider in the 'office' to ask
questions(213-622-0355 or e-mail: IdyllartLA@aol.com).

Mozart Duo Perform in Bay Area

2008-01-04T01:14:00.000-08:00

Walter Green, great bassoonist dies at 82

2007-12-15T00:03:00.000-08:00

We lost a revered member of our bassoon family on December 3rd in Mendocino, California. Walter Green passed away quietly within view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean surrounded by his family and friends.

At age 82, Walter still had a sparkle in his eyes and a mission to educate the world about classical music. He had been ill with Parkinson's for several years, but was excellently cared for by his lovely wife, Polly.

A poignant service and burial were held in Mendocino on Wednesday, December 5th, with the ocean breeze carrying the scent of marine life as Walter's life was remembered and celebrated. Those in attendance, including myself, were awed by the amazing life Walter had lived and the many people whose lives he touched.

Walter retired from the San Francisco Symphony over 20 years ago, where he was principal bassoonist. He was a founding member of the Mendocino Music Festival and was popular in his coastal town for the success of the festival and for being a popular radio personality. On his radio program, he exposed the breadth of his knowledge of selected musical pieces and the history surrounding them. His hope was to illuminate classical music in a way that would inspire his listeners to attend concerts and support the musical arts.

Most people did not know that Walter was a holocaust survivor who lost members of his family in Europe during World War II. He was fortunate to have safely fled Germany as a child; and he later worked diligently to become an American citizen. Walter never took his new country for granted.

Those who remember Walter in the San Francisco Symphony know that he fought tooth and nail for a number of the benefits that the musicians now enjoy in their contract. Musically, he set the bar high for himself and his colleagues; and some considered him tough for this reason. But Walter was also a man of compassion, generosity and selflessness. This was evident in the funeral service on Wednesday, as person after person spoke about Walter -- his doctor, a conductor, students, neighbors, friends, musicians who had traveled 3 hours from San Francisco, his family, those who listened to his radio program, and so on.Fortunately, before Walter Green passed away, he was able to put his fascinating life story into a book entitled" Golden Tones ". We join Walter's family in celebrating his life and our loss.

Rufus & Vida Olivier and Family

Old English Christmas Feast! Rufus Olivier Jr. Honorary Chairperson

2007-11-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

Wassail! Drink Hail! This year the Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bellringers are pleased to announce Rufus Olivier Jr. as their honorary chairperson. Come support this wonderful organization while getting into the holiday spirit!
www.ggbc.org

Award for Woodwinds and Brass

2007-11-09T03:35:00.000-08:00

For Further Information Or Applications, Contact:
Catherine Tonn, Competiton Coordinator
3366 La Mesa Dr. #9
San Carlos, CA 94070
(650) 593.1327
cmtonn@comcast.net

Trumpet book for Bassoon?

2007-10-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

An Anthology of Lyric Pieces for Trumpet and other instuments is one of the most helpful studies I have come across.
Firs,t it’s all about playing songs, and that’s the reason we play, to play melodies. This book will help you understand a phrase, control the breath and intonation. . It is in treble clef but that is also good to be able to read in treble clef .The book is filled with operatic songs and intermezzos. Author Jay Rizzetto is one of the bay areas leading trumpet players/ teacher. We have had conversations on the merits of just playing a tune. After all that’s what music is all about!
http://pasquina.com/

Auditons for Contra Costa Youth Orchestra

2007-09-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

2007- 2008 Season

Play Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker

Perform In Disneyland!!!

The Contra Costa Youth Orchestra (CCYO) in comprised of talented middle and high school-age instrumentalist from throughout the county and beyond. CCYO rehearses at Miramonte High School in Orinda, Tuesdays 4:30- 6:30 pm beginning September 25, 2007. Formal concerts are presented in December and May, culminating with a gala benefit performance at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. Other performances and activities are scheduled throughout the season.

Auditions!!

For all orchestral instruments

Contact: Greg Mazmanian, conductor

(925)254-5823

Doctor Killed Beethoven

2007-08-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

Pathologist: Doctor Killed Beethoven
By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer

VIENNA, Austria - Did someone kill Beethoven? A Viennese pathologist claims the composer's physician did _ inadvertently overdosing him with lead in a case of a cure that went wrong.
Other researchers are not convinced, but there is no controversy about one fact: The master had been a very sick man years before his death in 1827.
Previous research determined that Beethoven had suffered from lead poisoning, first detecting toxic levels of the metal in his hair and then, two years ago, in bone fragments. Those findings strengthened the belief that lead poisoning may have contributed _ and ultimately led _ to his death at age 57.
But Viennese forensic expert Christian Reiter claims to know more after months of painstaking work applying CSI-like methods to strands of Beethoven's hair.
He says his analysis, published last week in the Beethoven Journal, shows that in the final months of the composer's life, lead concentrations in his body spiked every time he was treated by his doctor, Andreas Wawruch, for fluid inside the abdomen. Those lethal doses permeated Beethoven's ailing liver, ultimately killing him, Reiter told The Associated Press.
"His death was due to the treatments by Dr. Wawruch," said Reiter, head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Vienna's Medical University. "Although you cannot blame Dr. Wawruch _ how was he to know that Beethoven already had a serious liver ailment?"
Nobody did back then.
Only through an autopsy after the composer's death in the Austrian capital on March 26, 1827, were doctors able to establish that Beethoven suffered from cirrhosis of the liver as well as edemas of the abdomen. Reiter says that in attempts to ease the composer's suffering, Wawruch repeatedly punctured the abdominal cavity _ and then sealed the wound with a lead-laced poultice.
Although lead's toxicity was known even then, the doses contained in a treatment balm "were not poisonous enough to kill someone if he would have been healthy," Reiter said. "But what Dr. Wawruch clearly did not know that his treatment was attacking an already sick liver, killing that organ."
Even before the edemas developed, Wawruch noted in his diary that he treated an outbreak of pneumonia months before Beethoven's death with salts containing lead, which aggravated what researchers believe was an existing case of lead poisoning.
But, said Reiter, it was the repeated doses of the lead-containing cream, administered by Wawruch in the last weeks of Beethoven's life, that did in the composer.
Analysis of several hair strands showed "several peaks where the concentration of lead rose pretty massively" on the four occasions between Dec. 5, 1826, and Feb. 27, 1827, when Beethoven himself documented that he had been treated by Wawruch for the edema, said Reiter. "Every time when his abdomen was punctured ... we have an increase of the concentration of lead in the hair."
Such claims intrigue others who have researched the issue.
"His data strongly suggests that Beethoven was subjected to significant lead exposures over the last 111 days of his life and that this lead may have been in the very medicines applied by his doctor," said Bill Walsh, who led the team at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago that found large amounts of lead in Beethoven's bone fragments. That research two years ago confirmed the cause of years of debilitating disease that likely led to his death _ but did not tie his demise to Wawruch.
"I believe that Beethoven's death may have been caused by this application of lead-containing medicines to an already severely lead-poisoned man," Walsh said.
Still, he added, samples from hair analysis are not normally considered as reliable as from bone, which showed high levels of lead concentration over years, instead of months.
With hair, "you have the issue of contamination from outside material, shampoos, residues, weathering problems. The membranes on the outside of the hair tend to deteriorate," he said, suggesting more research is needed on the exact composition of the medications given Beethoven in his last months of his life.
As for what caused the poisoning even before Wawruch's treatments, some say it was the lead-laced wine Beethoven drank. Others speculate that as a young man he drank water with high concentrations of lead at a spa.
"We still don't know the ultimate cause," Reiter said. "But he was a very sick man _ for years before his death."
The Beethoven Journal is published by the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University in California.

New Profiler from Main Tool Room

2007-08-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

Bassoon Profiler
As a result of our development work with the oboe gouge machine we were introduced to a bassoon instructor at a major eastern music college. We have again taken the inaccuracies out of the older models and have standardized the design to produce a consistently highly accurate machine that has had raves of “best reed I’ve ever had”.

Maine Tool Room8 Washington Ave.Scarborough, Maine 04074207-883-2455

Santa Rosa Symphony Contra Bassoon Audition

2007-08-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Bassoonist/Contrabassoonist,

I hope you are having a great summer!

While the Santa Rosa Symphony was undergoing the search for its new music director, Bruno Ferrandis, auditions for vacancies in the Orchestra were postponed. There is now some catching up to do, and auditions for the following Permanent Vacancies have been scheduled and advertised in the International Musician:

CONTRABASSOON/UTILITY BASSOON – 35 Services; Audition Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
SECTION VIOLA – 55 Services; 1 Permanent Chair; Audition Date: Monday, October 1, 2007
PRINCIPAL HORN – 60 Services; Audition Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007
SECTION CELLO – 55 Services; 2 Permanent Chairs; Audition Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
SECTION 1st VIOLIN – 55 Services; 3 Permanent Chairs; Audition Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007

Following is additional audition information:

2007-2008 Wage Scale: Principal = $143.50; Assistant Principal = $132.02; Section = $114.80; Pension = 8%.
All auditions will be held at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa, California.
If a position is won by a SRS Musician, runner-up(s) may be offered the resulting opening(s).
To apply, please send a one-page resume and a $25 audition deposit by September 12, 2007, to:
Santa Rosa Symphony – Auditions
50 Santa Rosa Avenue, Suite 410, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Fax: 707-546-0460; Email: tbeswick@santarosasymphony.com
A list of audition repertoire and other relevant information will be mailed to the applicant upon receipt of resume and deposit.
Deposits will be refunded at the time of the audition.

For your convenience, the Contrabassoon/Utility Bassoon audition repertoire list is attached with this e-mail message, and information is being posted on the SRS website: www.santarosasymphony.com/jobs.asp. Preliminary auditions are planned to begin the morning of Wednesday, 26 September, followed by finals in the afternoon/evening, depending on how many musicians take the audition. Detailed information regarding the scheduling of Musicians’ individual auditions will soon be determined and made available.

Thank you if you have already submitted your resume and audition deposit expressing your intent to audition for the Santa Rosa Symphony. If not, I hope you will consider auditioning for the SRS. Additional information about the SRS can be seen on its website at www.santarosasymphony.com. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Tim

Tim Beswick
Director of Artistic Operations

Santa Rosa Symphony
50 Santa Rosa Avenue, Suite 410
Santa Rosa, California 95404

Phone: 707-546-7097, ext. 211
Cell: 408-445-8416
Fax: 707-546-0460
E-mail: tbeswick@santarosasymphony.com
Web: www.santarosasymphony.com

Grand Teton Music Festival Chamber Music

2007-07-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

Lynn Harrell & Rufus Olivier play the Mozart duo for Bassoon and Cello at the Grand Teton Music festival . August 08, 2007

Shipping a bassoon

2007-07-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

First wrap each part of the bassoon in tissue paper and put back in case, fill any empty space with bubble wrap so the horn does not move, test this by gently rocking the closed case to make sure nothing is moving. It is not recommended to leave bocals in the case. If you do ,make sure they are taped shut inside the holders, you don’t want them to get loose and cause damage to the horn or the bocal. Next you will need two 14” boxes (you can get them at Kinko’s or Fox to put the bassoon case in); you should have about 4 inches round the entire bassoon case. To do this put bubble wrap or foam popcorn in bottom of the first box 4 inches from bottom, put bassoon in, standing on end, make sure you have about 4 inches around bassoon case and fill in the space with popcorn, now you have half the bassoon covered. Place the next box over this making sure the top end is open then fill with foam popcorn, connect the bottom and top box around the middle with tape. Once the top box is filled ,seal and you are ready to ship. If you have insurance on the bassoon then that is all you need. If you insure the bassoon thru the post office it will cost a lot!

Midsummer Mozart Festival Program I – July 19 – 22

2007-05-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

Divertimento No.11 for Oboe, two Horns and Strings, K251
Piano Concerto N. 22 in E flat major, K482 - Janina Fialkowska, pianist
Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K191 - Rufus Olivier, bassoon
Symphony N. 34 in C major, K338

Bassoon Talk

2007-05-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

I have set up this blog for the benefit of bassoon students that have questions concerning any aspect of bassoon playing. I do not have all the answers but as a community, perhaps we will all benefit. No question is too silly to ask. With the help of other bassoonists we can find a solution to your problem, or at least discuss all of the solutions as a community. All are welcome at every stage of playing from beginner to professionals. Feel free to post your upcoming concerts and recitals, this site is for you!

Rufus Olivier Jr.