Program Overview

Bassoon

Our bassoon program offers a collaborative studio environment for weekly lessons, master classes of solo, chamber, and orchestral excerpt study, and reed making with double-reed room access.

Bassoon section of Oberlin Orchestra in concert at Chicago Symphony Center.
Members of the Oberlin Orchestra performing on tour at Chicago’s Symphony Center.
Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko

Program Facts

  • Program Type: Major, Performance Diploma, Artist Diploma
    • Bachelor of Music (BM)
    • Performance Diploma (PDip)
    • Artist Diploma (ADip)
  • Division: Winds, Brass, and Percussion

Contact

Drew Pattison, Associate Professor
(440) 775-5525
Drew.Pattison@oberlin.edu
Concerto winner Carl Gardner performs with Oberlin Chamber Orchestra.
The 2014 Senior Concerto Competition winner Carl Gardner gives a solo performance with the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra.
Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko

Oberlin Chamber Orchestra

Oberlin sponsors approximately 500 concerts on campus each year, including recitals and concerts by the more than 25 student ensembles. From historical performance to contemporary guitar, classical to popular, computer-generated to acoustic, and from time-tested compositions to newer works, the college and conservatory present performances to satisfy any musical interest.

Performance Ensembles

Opportunities for Bassoon

Ensemble experience is an essential component of Oberlin’s professional training; starting in the first semester, each student is assigned to and rotated through the major ensembles, one person per part. Bassoon students may pursue solo performances through the annual Concerto Competition and can play in at least six of the more than two dozen performance ensembles on campus.

Private Study

Individualized instruction is a hallmark of the conservatory. Students learn the art of balancing technical skills with natural musical growth and experience. The chief goal through private study is to help students progress in all phases of performing: technique, style, musicianship, interpretation, and repertoire. Bassoon students have access to and instruction on auxiliary instruments including contrabassoon. This exposure ensures that Oberlin woodwind students are prepared for the greatest possible variety of professional opportunities.

Sample Courses

  • APST 280 - Prima Vista Group Reading (2 credits)
  • APST 802 - Orchestral Repertoire for Woodwinds (2 credits)
  • APST 805 - Contemporary Chamber Music (2 credits)
  • PHYS 054 - Musical Acoustics (4 credits)
Curriculum and requirements

Master Classes

Weekly studio classes and regular master classes for the bassoon studio involve mock orchestral auditions, reinforcement of fundamentals, chamber music performances, solo recital performances, guest master classes, and many other types of performance opportunities. We encourage students to support their colleagues with positive and constructive feedback. Oberlin cultivates a learning environment in which students are open to making mistakes without consequence in larger public performances.

Drew Pattison coaches a bassoon student in studio class in Kulas Recital Hall.
Drew Pattison coaches a bassoon student in studio class in Kulas Recital Hall.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Oberlin Conservatory

Bassoon Faculty

Conservatory faculty maintain active performance schedules while remaining accessible and committed to their students. Individual instruction is paramount to helping students develop their mechanical, technical, stylistic, psychological, and musical skills.

The biggest difference between a student and professional is their skill level at practicing. The art of practicing is my primary focus with every student at Oberlin. That way, rather than being limited to my ideal concept of playing, the student can achieve their own ideal style of playing.

Drew Pattison, Professor of Bassoon

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Bassoon News

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Life After Oberlin

Bassoon graduates are prepared to pursue professional music careers as soloists and collaborative artists with a range of ensembles—from major orchestras to contemporary chamber groups, with several earning principal appointments. Others work as teachers and professors in schools of music and conservatories, as well as in professions outside of music.

Notable Oberlin Alumni

Ben Roidl-Ward ’15

Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Solo Bassoonist of Chicago’s Ensemble Dal Niente; Contemporary Leader for the Switzerland's Lucerne Festival Switzerland

Rebekah Heller ’02

Bassoon faculty at The New School-Mannes; Co-Artistic Director and bassoonist of International Contemporary Ensemble

Monica Ellis ’95

bassoonist of Imani Winds; faculty at Curtis Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music