National Music Festival bassoon mentor Jeffrey Keesecker returns to Chestertown for his third year to give a masterclass with the 2014 NMF bassoon apprentices. The event will take place at the Decker Theatre in Washington College’s Gibson Center for the Arts at 7:30 pm on Monday June 2nd.
The bassoon apprentices will be coached on Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major k. 191 and each will focus on a different movement of the concerto. They will be accompanied by an orchestra led by the conducting apprentices of Artistic Director Richard Rosenberg.
Collectively representing different states from all around the country, the four bassoon apprentices are all currently pursuing degrees in bassoon performance and other studies including finance and psychology. Both Rosenberg and Keesecker are thrilled to work together in this masterclass, which will give the soloists a chance to practice performing in front of an audience with an orchestra while at the same time offering the conductors a unique and essential opportunity to refine their skills in collaboration with a soloist.
Tickets for this event are $10 and can be purchased in advance at the Chestertown Visitor Center, and any remaining tickets will be for sale at the door.
In addition to being the NMF bassoon mentor, Jeff Keesecker is an internationally acclaimed performer and educator, is Professor of Bassoon at Florida State University and Principal Bassoonist of the Tallahassee and Pensacola Symphony Orchestras. He has performed as Principal Bassoonist with the Florida Orchestra in Tampa, the Jacksonville Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, Solisti New York, and the National Repertory Orchestra and has spent multiple summers performing at Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina. In Switzerland he has performed with the St. Gallen Sinfonie and Opera and is the bassoonist with The Dorian Consort and Dorian Consort Trio. His recordings include his solo CD with pianist Hélène Grimaud, “Bassoon Music of the Americas,” which features works by Etler, Siqueira, Villa-Lobos, and Osborne. Originally from Sarasota, Florida, his training includes studies with Trevor Cramer and Sol Schoenbach, with William Winstead at Florida State University (BM), and with Steven Maxym at the Juilliard School (MM).
This masterclass is one of the first events kicking off the 2014 NMF Festival! Every summer Chestertown becomes the home of more than 150 conservatory-level musicians from all over the world to reside and work side-by-side with world class musicians and mentors. The two-week festival runs from June 1- June 14 and invites the communities of Chestertown and surrounding areas to participate and engage in the various events happening every day. To see a complete schedule, please stop by the Chestertown Visitors Center at 122 N. Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620 to pick up a Festival Guide or brochure, or visit the website at www.nationalmusic.us.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.