Ella Hebrard, Bassoonist

(Okay, I know that’s the most overused phrase, but it got your attention, didn’t it?)

This June, I got the incredible opportunity to attend the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute in Toronto, Canada. I had never played a baroque bassoon before the summer, so I was nervous about showing up to a completely baroque festival with almost no experience. However, my worries were quickly replaced with excitement once I arrived and met my teachers and section mates. Sure, I was going to have my work cut out for me, but I was surrounded by people who were passionate, knowledgeable, and wanted to invite me into the baroque community to share in their expertise.

In the two weeks that I was there, I got to take classes with members of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, including lessons with bassoonist Dominic Teresi, while playing in ensembles and working on repertoire and reeds. I have pages of notes in my practice journal from the daily courses we could attend, much of which was centered on understanding and interpreting baroque style. (I’ve been working on a Vivaldi concerto, and I find myself flipping back to refer to those notes quite often). We were also assigned to various ensembles, from chamber groups to orchestras. Being the least experienced of the bassoons, I had a lighter load than some of my peers; I played in a reed quartet and in two orchestra performances (including our full-festival performance). I definitely needed the extra time, both for practice and to give my hands a rest! I never realized how straining it is to play on a baroque bassoon until I was doing it every day. Additionally, we had frequent studio classes, where we played our prepared repertoire for feedback, learned about baroque reed making, and discussed any and all questions we had.

One of my favorite experiences from the program was the oboe band, although it was probably the most taxing for my embouchure and hands. All the bassoons and oboes got together to rehearse a few pieces throughout the weeks, and we played outside the church as people entered prior to the final concert. Below is a video from that performance!

By far the coolest part of the festival, however, was experiencing a fully baroque orchestra. I had never heard a baroque orchestra playing live until the Tafelmusik concert we attended in one of the first days, and it blew my mind. I don’t think I could even put words to the feeling. We play baroque music all the time as classically trained musicians, but actually experiencing it on period instruments (or at least, facsimiles) made it resonate with me in a way I never expected. If I was apprehensive about what I was getting from the program before then, I was committed hook, line, and sinker before they even finished playing the first piece.

I was so excited to get to play in a baroque orchestra, and I tried to absorb as much of the experience as possible. There were so many things I discovered about the music and my relationship to my instrument through my time in the festival, and I couldn’t be gladder that I took the leap and applied for something I never thought I would do. I’m so grateful to all my Tafelmusik experience, but especially to Dominic Teresi and the bassoonists attending with me for helping me grow as much as I feel like I did in such a short time. Our performances weren’t filmed, but I did manage to record a few clips during the dress rehearsal- one of which is shared below.

The entire festival was such a transformative experience, and I learned so much. I can’t wait for my next opportunity to work on baroque bassoon, and I can’t recommend enough for any musician to go seek out experiences like this one.

(As a side note, it was also incredible to visit Canada! Exploring Toronto with the small amount of free time we had was a blast, and I even got to visit Niagara Falls.)