Last week I was an instructor at a week long camp for bassoon and oboe players at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Bocal Majority. I led master classes, chamber music and reed-making to 16 bassoon players. We also performed daily faculty recitals. It was a blast!
It was my good fortune to be teaching with bassoonist Leslie Lashinsky and oboists Jonathan Davis and Cathy Del Russo. We also had Michelle Grego and David Weiss give a master class and perform in the faculty recitals. I learned so much by observing these master teachers and performers. In addition to the other instructors, the students and staff were fantastic. Jesse Woolery and Emily Thygesen were the camp administrators and have led this camp all over Texas during the summer. We also had a bassoon intern Gerry Hernandez. He was a former student at Bocal Majority and a current student at CSU Long Beach. He was great with the students and very helpful.
Left to right: Jonathan Davis, bassoon intern Gerry Hernandez, Rebecca Rivera, Michelle Grego, Leslie Lashinsky, Cathy Del Russo.
Leslie brought out the contra bassoon on the last day of camp.
The final performance included a double reed choir of all oboe and bassoon players performing a musical medley of Fun, Adele and Rhianna.
