We talk to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Bassoonist to find out where did it all begin?

BORN ADELAIDE, 1991
LIVES MELBOURNE
STUDIED ELDER CONSERVATORIUM AND ANAM
LIKES GAME OF THRONES AND BORDER COLLIES

What made you choose the bassoon?

I played the clarinet to begin with, going on all through primary school. Then I was at a music camp, and a teacher – who would become my teacher – was showing the bassoon to everybody. I wanted to pick up a second instrument to go into high school, and it turned out to be the bassoon!

Are they very different to play?

It’s a different reed – the clarinet is a single reed and the bassoon is a double reed, the fingering system is completely different, and then there’s the sheer size of the instrument – it must be four times larger.

The bassoon is typically the last instrument chosen, the Cinderella left behind when everyone else has gone to the ball. What made you pick her ?

I wouldn’t describe the bassoon as Cinderella. I think it’s normally described as the beast! It has a really unique sound, and a unique place, especially in orchestral music. It has a...