Join us for the 14th annual Bassoon Day at McGill! This year’s special guest is Carlo Colombo, Principal Bassoon of the Opéra National de Lyon and Professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon and the Lausanne Conservatory.
We look forward to seeing you at Bassoon Day! For more information, contact stephane.levesque [at] mcgill.ca (Stéphane Lévesque).
Schedule
All events are free and open to the public; no advance registration required.
- 9:00am–2:00pm: Bassoons and Accessories
- Exhibits of instruments and accessories by Bell Bassoons from Lakefield, Ontario, and by Montréal woodwind specialist Pascal Véraquin. Arrive early! Coffee and muffins will be served.
- Venue: Strathcona Music Building, Room C-310, 555 Sherbrooke Street W.
- 10:30am–12:00pm: Masterclass with Michael Sundell of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
- McGill students will be performing in the class.
- Venue: Strathcona Music Building, Room C-304, 555 Sherbrooke Street W.
- 2:00pm–4:00pm: Master class with Carlo Colombo, principal bassoon of the Opéra National de Lyon and professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon and the Lausanne Conservatory.
- McGill students will be performing in the class.
- Venue: Strathcona Music Building, Room C-304, 555 Sherbrooke Street W.
- 5:00pm: A Bassoon Extravaganza No. 14!
- Concert featuring special guest Carlo Colombo, with OSM bassoonists Stéphane Lévesque, Martin Mangrum, Mathieu Harel and Michael Sundell.
- Bring your bassoon and don’t miss the Bassoon Ensemble Grand Finale! We hope to have more than 40 bassoonists on stage!
- Venue: Redpath Hall, 3461 McTavish St.
Biographies
Carlo Colombo
Born in Padua, Italy, Carlo Colombo has served as Principal Bassoon of the Lyon National Opera Orchestra since its inception in 1983. From 1978 to 1981 he was Principal Bassoon of the ensemble I Solisti Veneti, and has performed as guest principal bassoon with many European orchestras including the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the NDR Orchestra in Hamburg, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.
Faculty member of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Lyon since 2001, Mr.Colombo joined the faculty at the Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland in 2005, and he was a guest professor at Indiana University and at the Oberlin Conservatory. He has also taught at many summer festivals such as the Académie d’été des Arcs, APM Saluzzo, Académie de Nice, Académie Prague-Wien-Budapest, Festival de Prades, and he has regularly gives master classes throughout the world in Germany, England, Portugal, Italy, Canada, USA, Switzerland, and China.
Mr. Colombo received his “Diploma di Fagotto” from the Milano Conservatory, where he studied with Evandro Dall’Oca. He obtained his “Premier Prix de Virtuosité” from the Geneva Conservatory where he studied with Roger Birnstingl. He also studied with Brian Pollard in Amsterdam.
Stéphane Lévesque
Born in Montréal, Stéphane Lévesque has been Principal Bassoon of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since the fall of 1998. He has also held principal bassoon positions with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Saito Kinen Orchestra in Japan. Mr Lévesque is Assistant Professor at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, and he has given master classes in institutions which include the Banff Centre, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon in France, and the National School of Music in Mexico City. He has appeared as soloist on many occasions with the OSM, as well as with ensembles such as the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the New World Symphony, Les Violons du Roy and the U.S. Army Orchestra. Mr Lévesque studied with Stephen Maxym and Frank Morelli at Yale University, and with Rodolfo Masella at the Montréal Conservatory.
Martin Mangrum
Born in Princeton, NJ and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Martin Mangrum joined the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal as Second Bassoon in September of 2000, and served as acting Associate Principal during the 2003-04 season. Prior to his appointment in Montréal, he was Principal Bassoon of the Real Orquesta Sinfónica in Sevilla, and Co-Principal of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya. Mr Mangrum holds a Doctorate degree from the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with Stephen Maxym. He has also studied with Mordechai Rechtman during a stay in Israel in 1993. Mr Mangrum currently teaches bassoon and chamber music at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, as well as at the Université de Montréal.
Mathieu Harel
Associate principal bassoon with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Mathieu Harel was acting principal bassoon of the OSM during the 2003-04 season. Born in Contrecoeur, near Montréal, Mr. Harel studied with Bernard Garfield at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and at the Montreal Conservatory, with Rodolfo Masella and Gerald Corey. Prior to the end of his studies at Curtis, Mr Harel won the second bassoon position with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, and he was also assistant principal bassoon with the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago. He currently teaches at the Montreal Conservatory, and was a member of the faculties at McGill University, at the Trois-Rivières Conservatory and at the Camp Musical des Laurentides. Mr Harel is also a member of the Kiosque 1900 Ensemble.
Michael Sundell
Michael Sundell was appointed to the contrabassoon position with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in 2011. He attended the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with William Winstead, and Rice University as a student of Benjamin Kamins. Prior to coming to Montreal, Mr Sundell was a member of the Colorado Symphony, and he has also held positions with the Milwaukee Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, and Virginia Symphony. He also enjoyed an extensive career as a freelance musician working with many orchestras throughout the U.S. including the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, and the Kennedy Center Opera.
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