The 2023 Bassoon Bonanza! has been postponed for this year. The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame is renovating their facilities and is not available at this time. We will be back in June, 2024 (June 3-7) for an action-packed week of wonderful bassoon activities.
The Fourth Annual Bassoon Bonanza! Concerto Competition will be held on June 3, 2024. Participants will audition on the 3rd movement of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto. The winner will perform this piece on Friday, June 7, 2024, with the Barking Basset Bassoon Band as accompanist! See below for more information.
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The Tulsa Holiday Bassoon Bash featuring the Barking Basset Bassoon Band has been cancelled for 2023.
We will be returning to Woodland Hills Mall in December, 2024. Check back in September, 2024 for an announcement
of the exact date.
As the WORLD'S LARGEST CHRISTMAS BASSOON BAND,
the BBBB will present a wonderful program of holiday favorites.
Click on the "bassoon links" tab above for details.
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Dr. Robert Jordan will again be with us in 2024 offering his insights into bassoon and demonstrating his inventory of bassoons for sale. Dr. Jordan is an internationally known bassoonist and pedagogue. He has studied with many of the top bassoon teachers of the 20th century and will be looking forward to sharing his information in masterclasses. He is also President of Weisberg Systems (weisbergsystems.com), a company that designed and currently installs the double octave system on bassoons. This is an add-on system that eliminates flicking. He will be demonstrating this system at our bassoon workshop.
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announcing
the Fourth Annual
Bassoon Bonanza! Concerto Competition
The winner will perform the third movement to Mozart's Concerto for Bassoon at our final gala concert on Friday,
June 7, 2024 with the Barking Basset Bassoon Band as your accompanist!
all Bassoon Bonanza! participants are encouraged compete
We will hold an audition for this solo spot on the first day of our workshop (June 5, 2023). The winner will be able to rehearse during the week with the bassoon big band leading up to the performance on Friday, June 7!
Here is a link to the solo bassoon part:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/c83bx6igovr90n3/Mozart_Concerto_%25283rd_mvmt_bsn_only%2529.pdf/file
see our application form for more information
The 2024 Bassoon Bonanza! will be held June 3 - 7 at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in the heart of vibrant downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a five-day workshop for bassoonists of junior high and high school level in addition to interested adult players. Resident artists will be Richard Ramey and Susie Brown, the bassoon section of the Tulsa Symphony, Tulsa Ballet, and Tulsa Opera.
The Bassoon Bonanza! will offer participants an opportunity to build and improve on their technique as bassoonists while developing a new sense of musical interpretation in etudes and solos.
An exciting part of the 2024 Bassoon Bonanza! will be the chance to perform in a massed bassoon ensemble known as the Barking Basset Bassoon Ensemble. Participants will come together daily for rehearsals and a final concert on Friday will present the various selections worked on during the week. Ensemble music will be sent out one week prior to the start of the workshop.
What You Can Expect
Masterclass subjects will include coaching of All-Region/All-State audition material, “Winning Auditions: Strategies for a great performance,” and daily reedmaking sessions (including easy steps to adjusting commercial reeds). Other class topics change from year to year and will be chosen from the following:
• Fundamentals of “bassooning”
• Flicking
• "The Importance of Scales and Arpeggios in Developing Your Technique"
• Developing vibrato
• Organizing your daily and weekly practice sessions
• Using a tuning CD to build solid intonation
• Developing your own skills through the performance of chamber music
• Learning tenor clef
• Opportunities for today's musician
• Buying your own bassoon; what to choose, what to avoid
• A demonstration of the contrabassoon (participants will have a chance to play the instrument)
• "An Aural Potpourri of Music for Bassoon"
• Beginning improvisation and looping for bassoonists with a demonstration of various effects pedals
useful when performing
• Bassoon maintenance for the student
In order to get the most out of this workshop, participants should come prepared to play an etude from a standard bassoon method book or their All-Region/All-State audition material. A movement from a recent solo that you have performed or are going to perform would also be acceptable. If you are a beginning bassoonist and have not worked on etudes, we can concentrate on learning initial scales at a slow tempo. Participants will receive a variety of handouts to take home and use for the coming year.
Our intent is to make the 2024 Bassoon Bonanza! very relaxed and non-competitive. Participants will have a chance to meet and perform with other bassoonists from the region and beyond. Bassoonists will come together as a family in a fun and positive atmosphere while gaining valuable knowledge and skill as musicians.
Masterclass subjects will include coaching of All-Region/All-State audition material, “Winning Auditions: Strategies for a great performance,” and daily reedmaking sessions (including easy steps to adjusting commercial reeds). Other class topics change from year to year and will be chosen from the following:
• Fundamentals of “bassooning”
• Flicking
• "The Importance of Scales and Arpeggios in Developing Your Technique"
• Developing vibrato
• Organizing your daily and weekly practice sessions
• Using a tuning CD to build solid intonation
• Developing your own skills through the performance of chamber music
• Learning tenor clef
• Opportunities for today's musician
• Buying your own bassoon; what to choose, what to avoid
• A demonstration of the contrabassoon (participants will have a chance to play the instrument)
• "An Aural Potpourri of Music for Bassoon"
• Beginning improvisation and looping for bassoonists with a demonstration of various effects pedals
useful when performing
• Bassoon maintenance for the student
In order to get the most out of this workshop, participants should come prepared to play an etude from a standard bassoon method book or their All-Region/All-State audition material. A movement from a recent solo that you have performed or are going to perform would also be acceptable. If you are a beginning bassoonist and have not worked on etudes, we can concentrate on learning initial scales at a slow tempo. Participants will receive a variety of handouts to take home and use for the coming year.
Our intent is to make the 2024 Bassoon Bonanza! very relaxed and non-competitive. Participants will have a chance to meet and perform with other bassoonists from the region and beyond. Bassoonists will come together as a family in a fun and positive atmosphere while gaining valuable knowledge and skill as musicians.
The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame is located on First Street between Cincinnati and South Boston Avenue in downtown Tulsa
Daily Schedule
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:30 am - 9:00 am
(Jazz Hall of Fame Lobby, Monday only)
Masterclass 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9:00 am - 10:00 am
Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:00 am - 10:15 am
Reedmaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10:15 am - 11:15 am
Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11:15 am - 11:30 am
Masterclass 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Lunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Bassoon Ensemble Rehearsal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Masterclass 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
(Monday through Thursday)
Performances
On Monday, Susan Brown and Charlotte Blakeley, Andrew Davis, and Richard Ramey will present a recital of works for solo bassoon and bassoon quartet.
Our Friday evening Bassoon Bonanza! Final Concert will feature YOU as a member of the the 2024 Barking Basset Bassoon Band!
What to Bring
Your instrument and two reeds (you may purchase reeds as a part of the registration process--refer the application for more information). If you own reedmaking tools, feel free to use these in the reedmaking masterclasses. Music stands will be provided for all rehearsals and masterclasses. There will be a selection of bassoon ensemble music, reedmaking supplies, and bassoon accessories for sale during the workshop so you may wish to bring extra money to purchase some of these items.
What to Bring
Your instrument and two reeds (you may purchase reeds as a part of the registration process--refer the application for more information). If you own reedmaking tools, feel free to use these in the reedmaking masterclasses. Music stands will be provided for all rehearsals and masterclasses. There will be a selection of bassoon ensemble music, reedmaking supplies, and bassoon accessories for sale during the workshop so you may wish to bring extra money to purchase some of these items.
Fees
Thanks to generous support from the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, the workshop fee the 2024 Bassoon Bonanza! is only $250. This includes the use of a reedmaking kit, cane, handouts, and a free workshop T-shirt.
Housing and meals
Housing and meals are on your own. For those who wish to bring a prepared lunch, there are refrigerators at the Jazz Hall of Fame in which you may store these. There is also a lounge area in which you may spend time eating your lunch. Downtown Tulsa has numerous restaurants near the workshop site. Visit visittulsa.com for a selection listed by cuisine. We will also have a walking restaurant guide available for participants at registration.
A new hotel has teamed up with us to provide reduced rates for this workshop. The Holiday Inn Tulsa City Center will offer a special reduced rate for the duration of the Bassoon Bonanza!. The hotel is located at 17 West 7th Street (7 blocks from the workshop site, a 13-minute walk). To make reservations and take advantage of this special rate, please contact us at the address below.
The workshop hotel provides the following amenities:
- Airport Transportation: the hotel provides 24-hour airport shuttle service to/from Tulsa International Airport by calling the hotel directly upon arrival (918-585-5898)
- Parking: the hotel provides complimentary parking onsite in a covered parking garage which requires guest room key to access; the entrance is located on Boulder Avenue
- WiFi: the hotel provides complimentary WiFi
- Breakfast: breakfast is served daily on the 1st floor (lobby level) from 6:30am-10:00am, Monday through Friday and 7:00am-10:30am Saturday and Sunday
- Pool/Hot Tub: indoor pool hours are 6:00AM - 10:30PM ; the pool is located on the 2nd floor of the hotel
- Fitness Center: a 24-hour fitness center available, located on the 3rd floor of the hotel
There is also a variety of hotels in the greater Tulsa area. Visit websites such as kayak.com and trivago.com for more information.
If you have any questions about the 2023 Bassoon Bonanza!, please feel free to contact us:
Richard Ramey
[email protected]
The 2024 Bassoon Bonanza! is sponsored by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
and the Tulsa Symphony
and the Tulsa Symphony