He is a bassoonist, musicologist, arranger and teacher who studied at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, the University of Southern California and Yale School of Music.
After leaving his full time education he became a member of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra as their Principal Bassoonist.
Pursuing his career in Canada, he was taken on as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Bassoonist in 1989 and has been a performer with them ever since. He has performed as a soloist on numerous occasions where he often concentrates on Early music an concertos written by Mozart and Vivaldi as well as works by contemporary Canadian an American composers by whom he has performed three new commissions.
Also an active chamber musician he is a founder of the bassoon quartet Caliban, has been a guest musician with the ensembles Amici, Via Salzburg and Quartetto Gelato, the pianist Emmanuel Ax and performed at a concert in 1992 celebrating the 60th birthday of Glenn Gould where he played the composer’s Bassoon Sonata.
He has appeared on many recordings, some of which include Beethoven: Quintet for Piano and Winds by Amici, Bassoonatics! By Caliban, Adeste Fidelis by Gino & Louis Quilico, Judy Loman an the Toronto Symphony Orchestra & Children’s Chorus, Mozart and Beyond by Michael Sweeney and The Seiler Strings et al and Bartok: Dance Suite, Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition and Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to name just a few. He has also put together the performing editions of an opera by Jean-Phillippe Rameau, published Movie Favourites Bassoon, Movie Favourites Conductor, Movie Favourites Trumpet and Broadway Favourites Conductor and, more recently his publication of the Bassoonist’ Companion to Mozart’s Concerto.
In the world of musical education he has been a teacher at the Domaine Forget Academy in Quebec and is currently on the faculty at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music.
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