McGill Bassoon Day 2026
Join us for the 23rd annual Bassoon Day at McGill on Saturday, February 21, 2026! We look forward to seeing you for classes with our special guests Suzanne Nelsen and Mathieu Harel, exhibits, and our Bassoon Extravaganza concert!
Schedule:
- 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Elizabeth Wirth Music Building Lobby | Exhibits: Come try out bassoons and bocals by Canadian bassoon maker Benson Bell and check out bassoon and reed accessories from Reed Supplies Canada
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Tanna Schulich Hall | Masterclass with Mathieu Harel, bassoonist with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
- 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Tanna Schulich Hall | Masterclass with Suzanne Nelsen, bassoonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and faculty at the New England Conservatory
- 5:00 p.m., Tanna Schulich Hall | A Bassoon Extravaganza #23! Join us for a bassoon concert featuring our special guest Suzanne Nelsen as well as members of the OSM bassoon section, and don't forget to bring your bassoon for the Bassoon Day Ensemble Finale!
Guest bios:
Suzanne Nelsen
Suzanne Nelsen grew up on a pig farm in Alberta, Canada in a home filled with the sounds of music; her parents were opera singers, and her siblings also became professional musicians. In 1995, during post-graduate study at McGill University, she won a position with the Montreal Symphony where she stayed for five years until her appointment to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops in 2000.
Ms Nelsen has taught bassoon and chamber music at McGill University, Longy School of Music, Boston Conservatory, Boston University, New England Conservatory, and at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. in the summer of 2022. She is now on the bassoon faculty at New England Conservatory.
As a mother of two, one of her favorite pastimes is lecture demonstrations for kids, students, and parents about life as a professional musician. She has made many educational videos for the Boston Symphony Orchestra that can be found on the BSO website.
Mathieu Harel
Mathieu Harel has been the associate principal bassoon of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1998. He studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal with Rodolfo Masella and Gerald Corey before continuing his education at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Bernard Garfield.
Mr Harel has held positions with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago. He has been teaching at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal since 2004 and has also worked with students at McGill University, Domaine Forget, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He plays on B. H. Bell Bassoon No. 99.
McGill Bassoon Day 2026 is presented by:
| 
| 