2nd ANNUAL Bassoon DAY
November 10, 2012
The Morehead State University Department of Music, Theatre and Dance is pleased to announce its Second Annual Bassoon Day, Saturday, November 10, 2012, to be held in Baird Music Hall and at Morehead State University. This clinic is meant for all bassoonists from beginners to professionals and will include activities for all – group master classes, bassoon ensemble, solo master classes and an opening and closing recital. In addition, a clinic on preparation for All-State Bassoon Auditions will be held in the afternoon and teachers (bassoonists and non-bassoonists alike) are encouraged to attend – professional development certificates will be provided. This year’s guest artist is Prof. Lecolion Washington from the University of Memphis, a Fox Bassoon Artist.
Cost of the Bassoon Day is $30 for all students, which includes the price of a T-Shirt. Teacher participants, MSU students, parents and chaperones attend free of charge.
Everyone is strongly encouraged to register by Monday, October 22 to ensure the availability of materials and t-shirts. However, late and on-site registrations will be accepted.
MSU bassoon alumni and other adult bassoonists are also welcome to participate in the Bassoon Day events. Pre-registration is required to participate in the Bassoon Choir and clinics with Dr. Oyen and the guest artist.
Information for Participants
Call 606.783.204 or e-mail for more information.
These links to brochure and registration form are currently under construction and will be updated soon:
2012 Guest Artist
Lecolion Washington, Jr. is the bassoon professor in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music faculty at the University of Memphis. He is the bassoonist of the Memphis Woodwind Quintet and he serves as the co-coordinator of the University of Memphis annual double reed festival. He is also the founder and director of the PRIZM Chamber Music Festival. Prior to joining the University of Memphis faculty, he was the bassoon professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Washington enjoys the versatility that he has as a performer. Based on auditions Washington has been offered positions with the Houston Grand Opera, the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, and the Victoria (TX) Symphony Orchestra where he spent 3 seasons as assistant principal bassoon including one season as acting principal. Washington also served three seasons as co-principal bassoon of the Missouri Chamber Orchestra. He currently performs regularly with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the IRIS Orchestra, and he has served as guest principal bassoon with the Arkansas Symphony and the Reno Philharmonic. He is currently principal bassoonist of the Eroica Ensemble and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra.
Washington has performed chamber music with principal players from such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has performed with the New York Chamber Ensemble and the North Country Chamber Players, and in 2004 the Orchestral Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music invited him to perform on a chamber music concert of distinguished alumni. Washington has participated in several festivals in the United States including the Texas Music Festival, the Cape May Music Festival, and the International Festival Institute at Round Top. He has been serving on the faculty of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa since 2006. In South Africa, he performs, coaches chamber music, and teaches masterclasses along with distinguished faculty from all over the world.
As a soloist Washington has performed concerti with the Round Top Festival Orchestra, the Meadows Symphony Orchestra at Southern Methodist University, the University of Memphis Wind Ensemble, and the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Professor Washington has given recitals and masterclasses at schools around the country including the Eastman School of Music, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, the University of North Texas, and the University of Texas at Austin. He gave a lecture-recital on music for bassoon by African-American composers at the 2007 National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music Conference, and he has performed at International Double Reed Conferences in 2005(Austin, TX), 2007 (Ithaca, NY), 2009 (Birmingham, UK), 2010 (Norman, OK), and 2011 (Tempe, AZ). After giving solo recitals for several years at the IDRS conventions, he was invited to be a headlining artist at the 2012 IDRS Conference in Oxford, Ohio where he performed a new concerto for bassoon, strings, and harpsichord entitled Prelude, Funk, and Fugue. In 2008 he released a CD entitled Legacy: Music for Bassoon by African-American Composers on the Albany Records label. All Music Guide states that the recording “showcases Washington's fine singing tone on the bassoon” and James North of Fanfare Magazine notes that “my speakers, and my head, dote on the rich, warm quality of [Washington’s] lower register.” Washington is Fox artist and he performs on a Fox 660. He has studied privately with Kristin Wolfe Jensen, Frank Morelli, and Wilfred Roberts. He is married to Swedish clarinetist, Carina Nyberg Washington, and their family has two sons and a wonderful dog, Adele.