CHRISTOPHER MILLARD

President and Treasurer

Mr. Millard is the Lead Design Consultant for Backun Musical Services as they develop their upcoming line of student, college and professional bassoons.

Neil Bishop

Secretary

Neil Bishop is a reed-making recluse from St. John’s Newfoundland. He began playing the bassoon in 2006 with the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra and performed with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra in their 2007-2008 season.

In 2008, Neil moved to Toronto to study at the Royal Conservatory’s prestigious orchestral training program, the Glenn Gould School (GGS). While attending the GGS Neil had the privilege of studying with many of Canada’s top pedagogues and performers, as well as performing with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra.

Neil diversified his career as a bassoonist when he became part of the world’s first electric bassoon quartet cover band, Das Fagott Mannschaft (DFM). DFM performed at various venues, special events, and music festivals across Ontario, notably ScotiaBank’s Buskerfest, Sudbury’s Northern Light Festival, Toronto Pride, and the Toronto Jazz Festival.

In 2017 Neil relocated to Saint John to join Sistema New Brunswick, where he established the Saint John Centre bassoon studio. Neil is thrilled to be coaching the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra bassoon section this year.

Stéphane Lévesque

Né à Montréal, Stéphane Lévesque est basson solo à l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal depuis septembre 1998. Il a également été basson solo de l’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts du Canada et de l’Orchestre philharmonique de Buffalo, basson solo invité de l’Orchestre Saito Kinen et du Mito Chamber Orchestra au Japon, et il fut membre du membre du New World Symphony de Miami Beach, du Solti Orchestral Project à Carnegie Hall et de l’Orchestre National des Jeunes du Canada.

Lévesque s’est produit à titre de soliste à plusieurs reprises avec l’OSM ainsi qu’avec des ensembles tels l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, le New World Symphony, Les Violons du Roy, l’ensemble Thirteen Strings d’Ottawa, et le U.S. Army Orchestra. Professeur de basson à l’École de musique Schulich de l’Université McGill depuis 1998, M. Lévesque a donné des classes de maître partout dans le monde, notamment au Curtis Institute, aux universités Yale et Northwestern, à la Royal Academy of Music de Londres, aux conservatoires d’Adélaide et Sydney, en Australie, de Lausanne et Genève, en Suisse, et au Conservatoire national supérieur de Lyon.

Artiste invité au Centre d’arts Orford depuis 2000, il est le coordinateur du stage de musique de chambre Les Vents d’Orford. Il a également enseigné à la faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal, au Conservatoire de Montréal, et au Banff Centre. Stéphane Lévesque a commandé et créé de nouvelles œuvres pour basson de Gary Kulesha (Sonate pour basson et piano, 2011) et Ana Sokolovic (Concerto pour basson et sept cordes graves, 2009). Il a également joué en créations nationales ou locales des œuvres solo ou de musique de chambre de Elliott Carter, Michael Daugherty, Sofia Gubaidulina, Mathieu Lussier et Arthur Weisberg. Diplômé du Conservatoire de musique de Montréal et de l’École de musique de l’Université Yale, Stéphane Lévesque a étudié avec Rodolfo Masella, Stephen Maxym et Frank Morelli. Il joue sur un basson fabriqué en 2018 par Benson Bell de Lakefield, en Ontario.

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Born in Montréal, Stéphane Lévesque has been principal bassoon with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) since September 1998. He was also principal bassoon of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, guest principal bassoon of the Saito Kinen Orchestra and of the Mito Chamber Orchestra in Japan, and a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, of the Solti Orchestral Project at Carnegie Hall, and of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Mr. Lévesque has appeared as a soloist on several occasions with the OSM and with ensembles such as the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the New World Symphony, Les Violons du Roy, the Thirteen Strings Ensemble in Ottawa, and the U.S. Army Orchestra. Assistant professor of bassoon at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Mr. Lévesque has given master classes throughout the world, including at the Curtis Institute of Music, Northwestern University, Yale University, the University of Michigan, the Royal Academy of Music in London (UK), the conservatoriums of Adelaide and Sydney in Australia, the Hautes Écoles de Musique in Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland, and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon.

A guest artist at the Orford Arts Centre since 2000, he is the coordinator of the Orford Winds chamber music workshop. He has also taught at the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal, the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, and at the Banff Centre. Stéphane Lévesque has commissioned and premiered new Canadian works by Gary Kulesha (Sonata for bassoon and piano, 2011) and Ana Sokolovic (Concerto for bassoon and seven low strings, 2009). He has also performed national and local premieres of solo and chamber music works by numerous composers, including Elliott Carter, Michael Daugherty, Sofia Gubaidulina, Mathieu Lussier and Arthur Weisberg. A graduate of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and of the Yale University School of Music, Stéphane Lévesque studied with Rodolfo Masella, Stephen Maxym and Frank Morelli. He plays on a bassoon made in 2018 by Benson Bell of Lakefield, Ontario.

Darren Hicks

Bassoonist Darren Hicks believes music lives at the crossroads of the real world and the intangible stuff of the human experience and his students will tell you how often he uses up precious lesson time to wax poetically about the metaphysical aspects of creating art. Darren spent his childhood in the small rural town of Middleton, Nova Scotia, where music captivated him early as a means of understanding and expressing emotions, something he often struggled to do with words. His piano teacher Maureen MacLean, the King’s Chorale Children’s Chorus, Middleton Regional High School (MRHS) band teacher Richard Bennett, the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir, and bassoon teacher Robert (Bob) McCarthy helped introduce Darren to the breadth, language, and joy of music that propelled him toward further study at the university level.

Darren is eternally grateful to his teacher and mentor, Christopher Millard, who took a chance on a naïve kid from Nova Scotia by accepting Darren into his studio at the University of Ottawa. After four years of intense but enriching and life-altering study in the bassoon and the art of music-making Darren earned a Bachelor of Music degree in bassoon performance in 2012. He is ecstatic to have succeeded Chris as principal bassoon of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and strives to carry the legacy forward.

In search of further exploration into the depths of expression with the bassoon as his tool, Darren pursued graduate studies at the Yale School of Music in New Haven, Connecticut with Frank Morelli. Mr. Morelli encouraged Darren to forge a deeper connection with music to try and say something, to offer something to those listening in order to have that shared moment of connection. Another important figure in his time at Yale was aural skills professor Joan Panetti, who offered Darren a new lens through which to view the structure and alchemy of music. Joan’s classes caused a fundamental shift and his ears will never be the same (for the better). Darren graduated from the Yale School of Music in 2014 with a Master of Music degree in bassoon performance and was the recipient of the Dean’s Prize and the Nyfenger Prize in Woodwind Excellence.

Darren continued his education as a Rebanks Family Fellow (2014-15) at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto. From there, he joined the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida in 2015. It was at New World where Darren honed his musical language and skill as an orchestral bassoonist and he is forever thankful for the opportunities afforded to him while a Fellow at the New World Symphony, including playing the Weber Bassoon Concerto in March of 2018 and giving a lecture recital on the bassoon and its place as both clown and cleric of the orchestra. A link to that lecture recital can be found at the bottom of this article: https://www.nws.edu/news/from-clown-to-cleric-exploring-the-bassoon/ 

A number of formative summer festivals and bassoon teachers have influenced and nurtured Darren and he would be remiss to not mention: the beautiful summers in the Swiss Alps as a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra (2013-15) where he was reacquainted with bassoonist Whitney Crockett who has had an indelible effect on Darren’s bassooning; the many visiting faculty at the New World Symphony, especially Daniel Matsukawa and Judith Leclair; the two summers spent at the Aspen Music Festival and School (2018, 2019) with Nancy Goeres, a remarkably warm and generous teacher; and his incredible colleagues from each of the these experiences who were and are inspiring.

Darren was immensely fortunate to join the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in the autumn of 2018 as Associate Principal Bassoon and will cherish his time there. After four seasons with the TSO, he was thrilled to win the Principal Bassoon audition with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, where he began playing in the autumn of 2022. However, Darren’s ties to the National Arts Centre go back further than this: he played his first ever professional gig with this orchestra and in 2012 he received the NACO Bursary award. Darren is thrilled to be back in this city with this ensemble and looks forward to how he can steward orchestral music throughout his new home and foster and contribute to communities across the National Capital Region and Canada.

Darren is over the moon to have the chance to share his music with people on a daily basis and still finds it surreal that this is his career. Many thanks to the people that make this possible, including Ben Bell of Bell Bassoons Ltd. who built Darren’s bassoon, his family, his therapist, and his support circle of dear close friends. When not crying over his reed desk, Darren goes for long meandering walks while listening to music or podcasts, browses vinyl and books, and feeds his incessant sugar addiction while scrolling through cute cat pics on social media.

Jo Ann Simpson

Bassoonist Jo Ann Simpson received her Bachelor of Music Performance degree from The University of Ottawa, where she studied with Gerald Corey. A year of postgraduate studies with William Waterhouse in London England, where she also worked with the BBC Symphony, was followed by a stint as principal bassoon of the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of Caracas, Venezuela from 1979-1986. Since returning to Ottawa, Jo Ann has worked as a free-lance player with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony, the Quebec Symphony, and the Orchestra of Northern New York, among others. She is principal bassoon of l’Orchestre Symphonique de Gatineau.

Jo Ann Simpson has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Venezuela, Uruguay, and Canada. She performs recital and chamber music regularly.

Jo Ann Simpson is a professor of bassoon at the Conservatoire de Musique de Gatineau, Québec, and Carleton University in Ottawa. She teaches the bassoonists at Canterbury High School and Centre d’Excellence Artistique de Lasalle and runs the Beginner Bassoon Program for The Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy. Jo Ann has taught the Bassoon Ed Techniques course at the University of Ottawa and at The Crane School of Music, SUNY in Potsdam New York. Jo Ann has given master classes at the 2 most prestigious music schools in Romania – Gheorghe Dima in Cluj-Napoca and The National University of Music in Bucharest.

Jo Ann Simpson is the founder and director of the only residential bassoon camp in Canada – Brooke Valley Bassoon Days, which attracts as many as 46 bassoonists annually from coast to coast in Canada, the USA, Europe, and Asia. www.brookevalleybassoondays.ca

Jo Ann Simpson is one of the few bassoonists in North America who plays both the German and the French system bassoon. She is a member of The North American French Bassoon Quartet and is frequently invited to perform at conferences of the International Double Reed Society, most recently in Grenada, Spain 2018.

Jesse Read

Jesse Read has served as Principal Bassoonist of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera National Company, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, North Hollands Symphony Orchestra,  Jacksonville and Victoria Symphony Orchestras, CBC Radio Curio Ensemble, Turning Point Ensemble, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, The Canadian National Broadcast Orchestra, and the Harlequin Bassoon Quartet.

He has performed and recorded with Tafelmusik of Toronto, Philharmonia Baroque, San Francisco, Capella Clementina, Köln, Boston Baroque Orchestra, Philomel, and the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra and has appeared as soloist with the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Dutch Radio Chamber Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, as well as orchestras and ensembles in France, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, and Austria.

He has championed lesser-known composers and has commissioned numerous works from this generation of composers.  In addition, Mr. Read was active as a studio musician in Hollywood where he performed on many movie and television soundtracks.

Mr. Read served as the Director of the School of Music at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, for eleven years recently retired as the Head of the Wind, Brass, and Percussion Division and Professor of Bassoon and Chamber Music.

He has taught extensively for the European Mozart Academy where he has held master classes, has previously held positions at the University of Victoria, the University of Delaware, and the Utrecht Conservatory, Netherlands.  His solo CDs on the Etcetera, Bravura, and Skylark labels have received unanimous acclaim, including the recent “Stroll in the Cool” which was nominated as “Best Classical Recording” in the West Coast Music Awards.

Mr. Read studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Music Academy of the City of Basel, Switzerland, where he specialized in the performance of 18th-Century music, and where he began a life-long exploration of lesser-known and undiscovered music for wind instruments.  He has researched and written extensively on repertoire for wind instruments – his editions are published by NOVA, London, Editions Viento, and Garland Press.

He has led masterclasses in the conservatories of Montpellier France, Lisbon, Portugal, Warsaw and Krakow, Poland, Prague, Czech Republic, Indiana University, UCLA, and others including repeat visits to the National University of the Arts in Taipei for master classes and recitals.

Mr. Read has recently performed with the newly-formed Avison Chamber Orchestra in Vancouver and is looking forward to an extensive tour in 2020 with a program of early Beethoven works.

Gabe Azzie

A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Gabe Azzie joined Symphony Nova Scotia as Principal Bassoon in January 2019. Equipped with a deep passion for teaching, he has also been on faculty as bassoon instructor at Acadia University’s School of Music since the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year. He is thrilled to have the opportunity to help shape the next generation of musicians.

Gabe completed his Master’s in the Spring of 2019 at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of William Winstead. Prior to moving to Cincinnati, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Ottawa, where he studied with Christopher Millard. During his time in Ottawa, he performed frequently with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau. He was also called upon as a pit musician for Broadway Across Canada’s Ottawa performances of Roger and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music.

In addition to his university training, Gabe has performed with Boris Brott’s National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and has had the opportunity to tour Canada and Portugal with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, where he worked under the batons of Emmanuel Villaume, Michael Francis, and Perry So. Other teachers include Kathleen McLean, Mathieu Harel, Stéphane Levesque, Richard Hoenich, and Jo Ann Simpson.

Outside of music, Gabe is an avid hockey and football fan, and also enjoys swimming, travelling, and hiking.

Nicolas Richard

Nicolas Richard joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony at the beginning of the 2022/23 season as Second Bassoon, having previously served as Principal Bassoon of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. He has performed as guest principal bassoon with the National Ballet of Canada and the Windsor Symphony and has equally enjoyed performing as a substitute with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Kingston Symphony Orchestra, and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.

Beyond his orchestral pursuits, Nicolas has appeared as a soloist with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Ottawa Orchestra. He won the second prize in the OSM Competition and is the first prize winner of the National Arts Centre Orchestra Bursary Competition, the Ottawa Symphony’s Sénécal-Mozart Prize, and the University of Ottawa’s Concerto Competition. Nicolas is a recipient of awards from the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation and the O’Brien Foundation. Nicolas has spent summers in the United States at the Music Academy of the West and the National Repertory Orchestra. In Canada, he has spent summers with the National Academy Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Nicolas completed a Master of Music Degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying with Benjamin Kamins. He received his Bachelor of Music at the University of Ottawa, where he studied with Christopher Millard and Richard Hoenich. Away from the bassoon, he enjoys running, reading the given week’s New Yorker, and is a big opera fan.

Philip Morehead

Philip Morehead recently retired after 34 years as Head of Music Staff for Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Ryan Opera Center. During this time he also served as Chorus Master (1986-1991) and Music Administrator (1991-1996).

As a conductor, Morehead has conducted for Lyric Opera of Chicago performances of Verdi Un ballo in maschera, Gilbert & Sullivan Mikado, Strauss Die Fledermaus, and Anthony Davis Amistad, as well as student performances of Carmen, Pagliacci, The Cunning Little Vixen, and The Magic Flute. Morehead is also a freelance pianist, harpsichordist, and conductor.

He is currently a Music Consultant for the Highlands Opera Studio in Haliburton, Ontario, where he has conducted Gounod’s Faust, Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Puccini’s La Bohème and Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos.

Morehead is the keyboard member of the Muskoka Big Band and editor of The New International Dictionary of Music and the Penguin Thesaurus. He recently began to revisit the bassoon, which he studied in the 1970s with John Miller.

Barbara Finch

Originally from BC, Barbara was studying English at the University of Victoria (UVic) and flute at the Victoria Conservatory when the bassoon “found” her. She went on to complete a B.Mus. in Bassoon Performance at UVic followed by a M.Mus in Orchestral Performance at McGill. Barbara was a member of NYO in 1995,1996, the National Academy Orchestra in 1998 and was section bassoon of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra from 1998 – 2005. Over the years she also worked with Pacific Opera, the Victoria Symphony and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as well as several chamber music ensembles, including Consortium Auroa Borealis in Thunder Bay where she regularly performed both solo and chamber works.

Now based in Sault Ste. Marie, Barbara continues to perform with her quintet, CanUSA and joins in with the Sault Symphony Orchestra. She has taught in the elementary school system planning, rehearsing and directing performances for grades JK through 8 on a contract basis. In 2018 Barbara completed a post-grad in Public Relations and Event Management. She is currently working for Ontario Lottery & Gaming (OLG) as a Sr. Community Programs Specialist, negotiating sponsorships, assisting with volunteer programs and fundraising campaigns.

In addition to her work as a bassoonist, Barbara has experience and expertise in event management (in-person and virtual), public relations, volunteer coordination, outreach, negotiations, database management, social media and fundraising.

Emily Carlsen

Emily Carlsen is currently studying at the University of British Columbia with an emphasis in education, early education and performance. In addition to her academic work, Emily is a band instrument repair technician at Tapestry Music Ltd., specializing in clarinet and bassoon restoration.

In addition to the bassoon, Emily studies the sheng (笙), a traditional Chinese instrument and is the recipient of several awards, including the Outstanding Community Field Experience Award (2022), Shirley M. Wong Bursary in Education (2022), Leone and Robert Hammond Memorial Bursary (2021), S. Cyril Maplethorp Memorial Scholarship in Music (2021), Dr. Zohreh Izadi Memorial Entrance Award (2020) and the Mildred Johnson Scholarship in Music (2020).

Emily is engaged in a K-12 practicum in music education and looks forward to beginning her master’s in educational leadership at Simon Fraser University in September 2023.

Heather Gibson

Heather Gibson has been teaching high school music in The Pas, Manitoba (approximately 600km Northwest of Winnipeg) since 2011.  She teaches grades 9-12 Concert Band, Jazz Band and Guitar.  Heather is always working to make sure all students have access to music education.  Through grants and fundraising, Heather has made sure there are school instruments available to students and that festivals and band trips are feasible for all students.

Heather received her Bachelor of Music in Education in 2010 from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. It was here that she had the opportunity to study bassoon with the fabulous Nadina Mackie Jackson.  In 2011, Heather earned her Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario.

In her free time, Heather volunteers with several community groups such as The Pas Arts Council and The Pas Music & Fine Arts Festival.  She sits on the Manitoba Provincial Honour Band committee as a rural/ Northern rep.  Heather teaches private piano and guitar lessons to students ranging in age from 3 to 16.  The highlight of her week is teaching group ukulele classes to local senior citizens! Heather enjoys taking in all the nature and beauty that Northern Manitoba has to offer.  Depending on the season, she can be found with her dog on the ski trails, curling, hiking, biking, golfing, gardening or spending time in her kayak on the local lakes and rivers.

Nadina Mackie Jackson

Our Founding Past President

Solo bassoonist, Nadina Mackie Jackson is the most widely recorded Canadian bassoonist in history with 13 solo albums, 8 chamber music recordings, and dozens of albums with symphony, chamber, and historical instrument orchestras.

A true communicator, Nadina confidently ventures into new works, venues, and collaborations, joining forces with emerging and established composers, performers, and thinkers, sharing her joy and continual sense of discovery with audiences.

18 new works for solo bassoon and orchestra were written for her in the last decade and she sees great importance in continually commissioning new composers to expand the voice of the bassoon. Recent solo recordings include Vivaldi Concerti Volume I with Nicholas McGegan and the Juno short-listed Canadian Concerto Project with Guy Few and Group of Twenty-Seven Chamber Orchestra. Performing with folk legend Valdy and other virtuoso musicians and orchestras, Nadina has toured extensively across Canada, the US, Europe and Japan.

Ever mindful of the challenges faced by young bassoonists, Nadina has taught throughout Canada and the US and is the founder of the Council of Canadian Bassoonists – a nationally recognized education charity dedicated to bringing performances and workshops to diverse audiences. Nadina released her bassoon technique book Solitary Refinement, Chromatics, Chords & Scales, Concepts for the Committed Bassoonist in 2020 and will soon release the audio version of this large-scale book.

Nadina stepped down from the Council after 17 years of dedicated work on behalf of Canadian bassoonists and their audiences.