Melissa Bosma
Oboe and English horn
Educator
Welcome to the UTA Double Reed Day, held on April 5th! We are so excited to see you and hear you again. This year we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Darrel Hale, Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of North Texas and Dr. Euridice Alvarez, Assistant Professor of Oboe at Baylor University! As always, this is a free event for all participants and comes with a free pizza lunch for everyone who joins us. The solo contest is continuing this year! Stay tuned for exciting announcements regarding our faculty, schedule, and masterclass openings!
UTA faculty Professors Melissa Bosma and Leslie Massenburg will be joined by a whole roster of brilliant guest artists and technicians - we’re so excited to share this lineup with you! Until then, take a look at the schedule.
Double Reed Day Schedule
7:30 Solo Contest Check-in Begins
8:00 Solo Contest (time slots will be assigned based on the number of registrants)
8:30 General Check-in opens
9:00 Opening Recital with Guest Artists
10:00 Junior High Elective Masterclass / High School Guest Artist Masterclass
11:00 High School Elective Masterclass / Junior High Guest Artist Masterclass
12:00 Lunch
12:50 Double Reed Games!
1:50 Sectionals
2:50 Relocate to Irons Recital Hall for Closing Recital Rehearsal
3:00 Group Warmup / Double Reed Choir Rehearsal
4:00 Closing Recital
Schedule is subject to change
In addition to the wonderful classes and recitals, we will have an exciting vendor onsite all day! Be sure to check out the vendor booth during a break or at check-in to browse selections. Check back for specific details on the vendor and the booth’s open hours.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact, Prof. Melissa Bosma at melissa.bosma@uta.edu, or Kendal Wohler at kendalbolton14@gmail.com.
ABOUT THE SOLO CONTEST
The solo contest is completely optional and is the only part of Double Reed Day that requires any fee. The entry fee is $7, for which students will receive written feedback from top artists on their instrument and will be considered for a seven-minute maximum spot on the Closing Recital. This contest is a great opportunity for all players to refine their audition and performance skills, for Texas high schoolers to prepare for the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest, and to have a chance to play in a beautiful recital hall. The solo contest is open to students in grades 5-12. Collegiate and post-graduate students are not permitted to enter the contest this year.
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*The Solo Contest Deadline is Wednesday, April 2nd at midnight. Registration and materials must be submitted by midnight to be considered for prizes.*
The solo contest is generously sponsored by Bocal Majority Woodwinds.
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The Junior High Division
The Junior High Division is open to oboists and bassoonists in 5th-8th grades. Oboists and bassoonists will compete together for the first prize: a one-hour private lesson with Prof. Bosma or Prof. Massenburg, and a $50 gift card to the solo contest sponsor, Bocal Majority. The second prize winner will receive a half-hour private lesson and a $25 gift card to Bocal Majority. Every contestant will receive personalized feedback from an esteemed panel of double reed artist-teachers.
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The High School Division
The High School Division is open to oboists and bassoonists who have not yet graduated high school (9th through 12th grades). There will be separate competitions for oboe and bassoon. Each first-place winner will receive the option to perform on the Closing Recital, a free lesson with Prof. Bosma or Prof. Massenburg ($75 value), and a $75 gift card to the solo contest sponsor, Bocal Majority! The oboe and bassoon runners-up will each receive a half-hour lesson with Prof. Bosma or Prof. Massenburg, and a $50 gift card to Bocal Majority! Every contestant will receive personalized feedback from an esteemed panel of double reed artist-teachers. This is a great opportunity for soloists preparing for the Texas State Solo & Ensemble Competition!
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*Please note: Divisions may be subject to minor changes based on enrollment.*
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*Should you be selected as a 1st or 2nd place winner of your division, you are responsible for contacting Prof. Bosma or Dr. Bennett Cameron to schedule your free lesson.*
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Registration: Please register for Double Reed Day and the solo contest via the links above.
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About the Solo Contest: The solo contest will be held in the morning prior to the rest of the day’s events. You will be assigned a time slot for your audition. It is recommended that you arrive 15 minutes before this time to check in, find your audition room, and warm up. Please remember that sending your score in advance is required. Please email a PDF of the piano score (if using piano) or the solo part (if not using piano) to Event Coordinator Kendal Wohler at kendalbolton14@gmail.com upon registration.
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Paying your fee: Entry into the solo contest is $7 per person. Please submit your payment to one of the following. Please include the first and last name of the student for whom the payment is intended. Cash payments will also be accepted the day of Double Reed Day, but we are anticipating long registration lines, so advance payment is strongly recommended.
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CashApp: $MaverickBassoonClub
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Venmo: @MaverickBassoon-Club​
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Requirements and recommendations:
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The contestant must meet the Junior High or High School criteria listed above.
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The solo may have a maximum run time of seven minutes; cuts are strongly encouraged.
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No pianist is required for the competition. Students are welcome to bring their own pianists, either for the competition or for the performance, if they are selected as winners. A brief rehearsal with a collaborative pianist will be provided before the winners’ performances on the closing recital. Any student entering the contest should know the piano part well and be prepared to perform with the piano.
PARKING INFORMATION
If you plan to park your vehicle on campus you must follow these instructions:
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Here are the steps for guests to register for parking:
1. Follow the link https://utarlington.aimsparking.com/permits/?cmd=new_event
2. Select "Department-Hosted Event”
3. Select "UTA Double Reed Day”
4. Enter voucher code: MAVUP
5. Select permit type "(EVT-COMP) Fac/Staff Surface Lots”
6. Select the active date
7. Add vehicle info and confirm
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Set your navigation for the intersection of Nedderman Drive and Cooper Street in Arlington, TX. From Cooper Street, turn west onto Nedderman Drive. If you are coming from the north/I-30, you will turn right onto Nedderman. If you are coming from the south/I-20, you will turn left. Follow the road around the corner to find parking lot F6 and F8 on your left. Once parked, walk north on Nedderman Drive until you reach a four-way stop at Greek Row Drive. Turn right/east onto Greek Row Drive and walk past the circle drive. Enter the fine arts building through the sliding doors on your right, just before reaching the concrete stairs.
If you would like a Double Reed Day or Maverick Bassoon Club T-shirt, stay tuned! Shirts will be on sale, and a portion of the proceeds go to the Maverick Bassoon Club, which sponsors free and low-cost events for young bassoonists and oboists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Should you feel inclined to give, we are gratefully accepting donations through the button at the top of the page.
ABOUT OUR FACULTY
Oboist Dr. Euridice Alvarez is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at Baylor University. She is principal oboist with the Waco Symphony and performs with the Baylor Woodwind Quintet and Baylor Wind Trio. Dr. Alvarez has established herself as a teacher, orchestral musician, chamber musician and oboe soloist. Through performing, university teaching and master class presentations, both nationally and internationally, she is recognized as an outstanding musician and pedagogue. Her oboe studies began at the Victoriano Lopez School of Music in her native Honduras and continued at the University of Southern Mississippi (BM), Baylor University (MM) and Eastman School of Music (DMA). Her primary teachers are Jose Angel Abrego, Patricia Malone, Doris DeLoach and Richard Killmer. She has performed in several orchestras in Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Texas, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. She has toured, performed and/or presented master classes in Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Thailand, The Bahamas, Florida, Connecticut, Georgia, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arizona, Mississippi, Tennessee, New Mexico and Texas. She formerly served on the faculty of the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Alvarez is the co-founder of Honduras Oboe Project Education, Inc. (HOPE), a non-profit organization that promotes the instrumental education of the oboe in Honduras. She is a Marigaux artist.
Oboist Melissa Bosma is the Adjunct Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Texas at Arlington. She also currently serves as the Secretary of the International Double Reed Society. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Bosma served as Lecturer of Oboe at Oklahoma State University, where she also served as Director of the OSU Summer Music Camp. She also served as Adjunct Instructor of Oboe at Heidelberg University, where she performed with the faculty woodwind quintet, regularly performed at the New Music Festival, and commissioned new solo works for oboe and piano.
Ms. Bosma has taught extensively in Texas, Michigan, and Oklahoma through her studio and master classes at many local middle and high schools. She currently maintains a private studio in Carroll ISD, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, and Northwest ISD. Passionate about sharing oboe pedagogy with other educators, Ms. Bosma has given presentations at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention and the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. Ms. Bosma is an active orchestral musician who has performed with groups such as the Fort Worth Opera, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Michigan Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Also an accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Bosma attended the Sarasota Music Festival and was a Fellow at Music Academy of the West where she was a featured soloist under the baton of Grammy-nominated conductor Nicholas McGegan.
Melissa Bosma graduated with Master of Music degrees in both Oboe Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Southern Methodist University. Her primary teachers include Erin Hannigan and Nancy Ambrose King.
Oboist Ashley Rollins is a performer and prolific private teacher in the DFW area, as well as the oboe professor at Collin College. She has studied at the Blair School of Music, the University of Michigan, and the University of North Texas, where she worked as the oboe studio's graduate teaching assistant. She has been a featured English horn soloist on the North Texas Wind Symphony's premiere recording of Ryan George's The Wild Goose, and was invited to perform the Marcello oboe concerto with the Nashville Summer Orchestral Institute. She regularly performs with the Amarillo and Sherman symphonies, and freelances throughout the area. Her passion for teaching has led to her maintaining a studio of around seventy students, who have been successful at solo contests and at region and all-state competitions, and she has been a clinician at TMEA. She is a founding member of the reed trio Fenglírë, a finalist for the American Prize for Chamber Music. She presented on teaching vibrato at the 2024 International Double Reed Society conference and performed a recital of new chamber works for English horn and bassoon, including the world premier of an arrangement of her own
Bassoonist Dr. Darrel Hale joined the UNT College of Music in August of 2021 as the associate professor of bassoon. A native of Denver, Colorado, he is Principal Bassoon of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. Prior to his position at UNT, he was a member of the faculty at Louisiana State University. He served as acting principal bassoon of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra under Lucas Richmond. An active orchestral performer, he has also served as the principal bassoonist of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and Springfield Symphony Orchestra and has performed with several other orchestras including the Fort Worth Symphony, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Gulf Port Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, Meridian Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony and Cincinnati Symphony Chamber Players. As a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, Hale performed as a member of the Aspen Academy of Conducting Orchestra under Maestro David Zinman and for three summers as the second bassoon in the Aspen Festival Orchestra alongside Per Hannevold. he comes to the University of North Texas from Louisiana State University where he was an associate professor.
A dedicated teacher, Hale has presented masterclasses in a variety of venues including the International Double Reed Society Conference in 2019, Meg Quigley Symposium Pre-College Camp in 2021, Hot Springs Festival, Midwest Musical Imports Master Class Series, and at many universities and conservatories throughout the United States including the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Texas Austin, Baylor University, Ohio State University, Unversity of Kentucky, University of Southern Mississippi and University of Georgia Athens. During the 2020 Covid pandemic, Hale worked with colleagues Ann Shoemaker (Baylor) and Yoon Joo Hwang (UCF) to create a series of online master classes that virtually connected students from around the globe with major international professional bassoonists for a series of masterclasses. Dr. Hale also currently serves as a co-editor with Amy Pollard (UGA) of the IDRS Online Fingering Chart Project and as a Competition Committee member of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition.
As an active advocate for the expansion of the bassoon repertoire, Darrel Hale has commissioned several new works for bassoon and voice with his duo partner, mezzo-soprano Megan Ihnen. These new works include Ahead of All Parting (2019) by Jenni Brandon, Aurora (2019) by Hannah Rice, White Ash (2019) by Mara Gibson, Washing Water Buffalo in the Ocean (2019) by Gregory Brown, and Millary Songs (2020) by Dana Kaufman. Hale has also been a consortium member on works by Drew Baker, Jenni Brandon, and Nico Muhly. In May 2021, Darrel Hale premiered a new concerto for bassoon and orchestra written for him by Mara Gibson entitled Escher Keys.
As a recitalist, Darrel Hale has performed at several International Double Reed Society Conferences including those held in Spain and Tokyo, Japan as well as at the Meg Quigley Symposiums in 2019 and 2021 and International Clarinet Association Conferences in 2014 and 2016. As a soloist, Hale has appeared with the ensembles at Louisiana State University performing the Mozart Concerto in Bb Major, K. 191, Weber’s Andante and Hungarian Rondo, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Concerto. In January 2020, Hale appeared with his colleagues in the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra to perform the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with BRSO under the direction of Maestro Timothy Muffitt.
Darrel Hale received a bachelor of music degree in bassoon performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he studied with Yoshiyuki Ishikawa. He continued his training at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio where he completed his DMA while studying with the late William Winstead. His other teachers include Per Hannevold, Martin James, and Chad Cognata.
Bassoonist Leslie Massenburg is one of the most sought-after bassoonists and contrabassoonists in the DFW area. She has frequently played and toured with the Dallas and Ft. Worth Symphonies and most recently played much of the season with the Dallas Opera Orchestra. She is principal bassoon of the Dallas Chamber Symphony, Plano Symphony, and Irving Symphonies. She is second bassoon with the Richardson Symphony, and contrabassoonist with the Dallas Winds and East Texas Symphony. She can be heard on several recording projects, including several of the Dallas Winds’ Grammy-nominated albums, live Dallas Symphony and Ft. Worth Symphony recordings, The Banner Saga soundtrack, and a recording of Appalachian Spring by the Dallas Chamber Symphony.
In addition to a full orchestral schedule, she performs outreach concerts with the Texas Winds, is frequently requested for presentations to school children ahead of their field trips to see the symphony, and enjoys accompanying her students on the piano for their solo contests and recitals. She carries a large private studio of bassoon students in the metroplex and beyond, and has enjoyed watching the successes of current and former students, including many full scholarship awards to prestigious music schools around the country.
Leslie graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Bassoon Performance and minor in Piano Pedagogy, where she studied with Jeff McCray and Dr. Matthew Morris. She continued her bassoon studies at Southern Methodist University and earned a Master’s degree in Music Performance, while teaching music appreciation classes for SMU undergraduates. Here, she was a student of Wilfred Roberts, retired principal of 50 years with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Lesliespent many years at the Aspen Music Festival and School where she studied with Per Hannevold, (Bergen Philharmonic, Norway).
Bassoonist Spencer Wilson teaches Applied Bassoon for Mountain View College, as well as bassoon lessons and sectionals for the Garland, Plano, and Duncanville Independent School Districts. His studio has garnered accolades through his students' numerous accomplishments in regional and state competitions. In addition, Spencer is in demand as a clinician and professional reed maker.
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Along with his career as a pedagogue, Spencer works as a sought-after freelance musician, having played with the Dallas Winds and the Rapides Symphony, among others. Mr. Wilson has served for two seasons as bassoonist for the Ohio Light Opera, performing a wide variety of musicals and operettas, including the American premier of George Gershwin's Primrose. He has also served as an Advanced Performer Fellow for the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival.
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Mr. Wilson earned his Master of Music in Bassoon Performance as an Artistic Excellence Fellow at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Woodwind Performance from James Madison University with honors. His principal teachers were William Ludwig and Dr. Susan Barber.
Contrabassoonist and Bassoonist, Kevin Grainger, is excited to be in the Dallas area and become part of the rich classical music scene the area has to offer. A native of Asheville, NC, Kevin holds degrees from Indiana University (BM 2013), and Boston University (MM 2015, PD 2017). During his studies, Kevin studied with notable bassoonists such as Kathleen McLean, Gregg Henegar, and Nancy Goeres. As a Contrabassoon Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival (2016-2018), he had the opportunity to study and perform with members of the Toronto Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Bergen Philharmonic. As a freelancer, Kevin has performed with groups such as the Cape Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Rochester Philharmonic, The Florida Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. In addition to teaching in the DFW area, Kevin holds positions with the McKinney Philharmonic, Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, and has performed as a guest Contrabassoonist with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Winds.
Pianist Astrid Morales, born in Mexico City, is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at Arizona State University with Robert Hamilton. Astrid holds master’s degrees in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy and a Performer’s Diploma in Piano from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Joaquín Achúcarro. In 2012, she graduated from the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City where she studied with Héctor Rojas.
Winner of the 2022 Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano - Professional Division, Astrid has been awarded several prizes and scholarships including the Actos de Confianza Grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures 2021, the 2014 General Concerto Competition at the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX, the 2011 Youth Mexican Prize, Grand Prix to Exceptional Talents and Best Interpretation of Mexican Music at the Second National Piano Competition “Petrof – Symphony – Pearl River”, among many others. In 2021, she was recognized as a Kawai Medallion Educator.
Astrid has had an intensive soloist career and has performed with orchestras and conductors such as: Mexico State Symphony Orchestra (Enrique Bátiz, Virgilio Valle and Gabriela Díaz Alatriste), Querétaro Philharmonic (José Guadalupe Flores), Meadows Symphony Orchestra (Paul Phillips), Nuevo León University Symphony (Eduardo Diazmuñoz), Mexico City Philharmonic (José Areán), National Polytechnic Institute Symphony Orchestra (Alfredo Ibarra and Enrique Barrios), Aguascalientes Symphony (Stephano Mazzoleni), Las Colinas Symphony (Robert Carter Austin), Women’s Orchestra of Arizona (Livia Gho), among many others. In addition, she has performed recitals in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, United States, Canada, Holland, Germany and Italy.
As an advocate of Latin American music and an active performer of Mexican music, she recorded her first CD “Rimero Musical” with music of the Mexican composer Ladislao Juárez and collaborated in “El Oficio Mío” with Armando Rosas. As an active collaborative pianist, Morales was appointed as a faculty member at the North Texas Low Brass Camp and was the pianist for Portland Opera To Go 2022 program and tour. Morales has collaborated with world-renowned musicians including Andrés Díaz, Santiago Cañón, Matt Albert, among many others. In 2018 and 2019, she also served as Fellow Pianist at the NorCal Music Festival. In addition, she serves as the principal pianist of Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra.
Astrid Morales serves on the piano faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has also served as Faculty Associate at Arizona State University. Astrid serves as Executive Director of Education at the Piano Industry professionals and Producers Conference and as an active committee member of the following: Binational Cultural Forum of Mexican Artists, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano. In addition, she serves as the 4th Vice President of the Arizona State Music Teachers Association.
Event Coordinator and Bassoonist Kendal Bolton Wohler is a freelance music and arts administration consultant in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and holds a Bachelor of Music in Business from the University of Texas-Arlington. She served as the Executive Director (2021-2022) and principal bassoonist of the Mansfield Philharmonic Orchestra (2020-2022). Mrs. Bolton Wohler specializes in digital organization, a skill that she honed during her internship with the Round Top Festival Institute, where she was instrumental in transitioning their organization and alumni systems to a fully digital process. She has also served as the Event Coordinator for the UT-Arlington Double Reed Day since 2017, and was the founding and long-running president of the Maverick Bassoon Club, an organization devoted to sponsoring high quality and low-cost educational activities for junior high, high school, and UT-Arlington bassoonists through the UT-Arlington Double Reed Day, All-State Intensive, and guest artist recitals and masterclasses.
In addition to her freelance administrative work, Mrs. Bolton Wohler volunteered as a consultant for the Maverick Bassoon Club, where she enjoyed sharing her knowledge of fundraising techniques, administrative processes, and leadership experience. She enjoys devoting her time to arts administration projects and mentorship of all kinds, and is passionate about creating musical experiences that are positive, inclusive, and illuminating for all.
During her time at the University of Texas at Arlington, Mrs. Bolton Wohler was often recognized for her academic, musical, and administrative skills. She received the College of Liberal Arts AcCOLAde Dean’s Award, was an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Project Fellow, made the Dean’s List, and served as Chamber Music Student Liaison. In addition to her academic accomplishments, she was selected to appear on multiple Honors Recitals, performed two solo recitals, performed at the College Band Directors National Association Conference, performed at the International Double Reed Society in 2019, and performed with the top performing ensembles at UTA. Her bassoon studies were with Dr. Laura Bennett Cameron, and she has performed in masterclasses for Wilfred Roberts, Kevin Hall, Dr. Fernando Zúñiga, Victor Dutot, the late Dr. Eric Varner, and others.
Thank you!
We would like to thank our generous sponsors, Bocal Majority Woodwinds and Maverick Bassoon Club for making these events possible!