“While there are many bassoon concertos out there, orchestras like the Stockton Symphony don’t often feature them on their concert schedule, choosing instead to spotlight instruments like violins, cellos or the piano,” writes Jeff Hudson on Thursday (1/21) on the website of Capital Public Radio (Sacramento, California). “The bassoon is more often given a ‘character role,’ as in well-known works like ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.’ That’s a favorite classical piece and a popular introduction to the bassoon for kids. In fact, Nicolasa Kuster was a teenager when she first encountered the instrument that she would ultimately choose as her own.… ‘And the minute I heard the bassoon coming out of that stage, it just enthralled me, wrapped itself around my heart,’ she explains. Kuster begged her folks for bassoon lessons, went on to study at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, and ultimately landed jobs playing with different orchestras. Now she teaches at University of the Pacific.… ‘Every time I get to play in front of an orchestra, I feel incredibly lucky,’ she says. ‘To play in my own town, with my own orchestra, is a real treat.’ ” Kuster will perform Peter Schickele’s Bassoon Concerto with the Stockton Symphony this Saturday.
Posted January 22, 2016
