IDRS 2026 Masterclasses and Interactive Classes

Jung Choi – From Reed to Rhetoric: Building Expression from the Ground Up
Students are welcome to apply with any repertoire; Orchestra excerpts to solo repertoire. When applying to present a non orchestra excerpt, students are encouraged to prepare the music in its entirety, ready to play whichever section they are asked to play during class. For example, one entire movement of a sonata or a concerto.

 Peter Cooper – Brahms in Professional Oboe Auditions
This class will cover the two most frequently asked Brahms works in professional oboe auditions: the First Symphony and the Violin Concerto. Participants will explore how to practice these excerpts and how to convincingly present them so players can distinguish themselves at a professional audition. Players will also touch upon ways to express the emotional impact of these solos in such a way to touch the listeners. With so many fine oboists in every audition, it is essential for students to learn ways to “emerge from the pack” to be contenders in the difficult audition world.  Two players will perform, each covering one of these works.

Nicholas Daniel – Metamorphoses after Ovid
Students will bring one or two Metamorphoses composed by B. Britten, Arachne by H. Grime and/or Proserpina J.Lee

Galit Kaunitz – Solo Recital Repertoire for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
This master class is for undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing for a solo degree recital. Topics covered can include oboe fundamentals, elements of musical style and interpretation, effective practice techniques, speaking to audiences, recital preparation, stage presence, and creating a narrative through programming decisions. Participants may choose to perform repertoire from any time period, as long as the oboe is the solo instrument. Students of any degree program and ability level are welcome!

Ari Cohen Mann – Phrasing with Finesse
This masterclass will specifically focus on exploring the dynamic and colour range of the oboe. Students will prepare a short piece or excerpt with the primary goal of phrasing in a more compelling and effective way.

Nanci Belmont – Musical Storytelling: Maximizing Your Expressive Potential
Attendees will learn practical strategies for removing technical barriers, expanding expressive vocabulary, and crafting interpretations that feel both personal and communicative. Repertoire is open, allowing performers to bring works from any era or style, from Baroque to contemporary, highlighting how expressive principles apply across musical contexts. Designed for developing and advanced bassoonists alike, this session offers concrete skills that help players more confidently and freely tell their musical stories.

Yoshi Ishikawa – The Art of Phrasing
Three students will perform songs by Mozart, provided in advance. Using these songs, various techniques and approaches to realize effective phrasing will be demonstrated. The masterclass will focus on phrasing techniques as applicable to orchestral/chamber music excerpts to solo repertoire. The class will close with a question and answer session.

Quincey Trojanowski – Orchestral Excerpts for Bassoon
Two or three students will be asked to play two or three contrasting orchestral excerpts. This will be followed by a brief question and answer session.

Frank Morelli – The Bassoon Is Your Voice
Morelli at 75: A focus on movements I & II of Mozart – Bassoon Concerto K 191, using the method of learning to sing through the bassoon by emulating great singers, in this case the great Mozart tenor, Fritz Wunderlich. Frank Morelli will demonstrate techniques he has used himself as a player and uses in his teaching by working with two advanced students. The class will focus on excerpts from the concerto and assigned arias.

Stephanie Patterson – More than Just the Notes: Connecting with Audiences
While we all aspire to perfection, a truly great performance is not only accurate but moving. Great performances are memorable for the audience and the musicians because there is a meaningful connection formed among those present. When we start to approach music as a vehicle for human connection and understanding, not only does the tedium of daily practice become more enjoyable, but we can use these tools to approach the challenges of being a musician, from performance anxiety to burnout. How do we cultivate that connection in our own performing, starting in the practice room? This class will cover many ways in which we can practice meaningful music-making, regardless of the instrument, context, or repertoire.

Shibin Song – Masterclass for Bassoon with Standard Repertoire, in Chinese, German or English
Professor Shibin Song (Professor of Bassoon and Deputy-Director of Orchestral Instruments Department of Sichuan Conservatory of Music in City Chengdu, China and Principal Bassoon of Chengdu Metropolitan Concert Hall Orchestra) will give a masterclass for bassoon in Chinese, German or English. Bassoon students are welcome to bring standard repertoire of their choice.

Wouter Vershuren – Playing Bach with Style: Cello Suites 1-3 on the bassoon
This masterclass explores Bach’s Cello Suites BWV 1007–1009 from a bassoonist’s perspective, based on a new edition prepared by bassoonist Wouter Verschuren. Using a historically informed approach, the session focuses on style, dance character, rhetoric, and the adaptation of Bach’s single-line writing to a wind instrument. Particular attention is given to articulation, the use of slurs, breathing and phrasing, the shaping of long lines, and practical solutions for suggesting harmony and double stops, enabling these works to speak convincingly and idiomatically on the bassoon.

Katarzyna Pilipiuk – Baroque Oboe
Katarzyna Pilipiuk, an experienced lecturer of historical oboe at two Music Academies in Poland and researcher, is passionate about performing early music in accordance with the spirit of the era and conducting research on repertoire and historical oboes. She is also interested in performing contemporary music written for period instruments. This masterclass will be centred on sound, articulation, technique, and interpretation. Active students should play a historical instrument (A=415Hz) in the masterclass.

IDRS Chamber Music Membership Committee
A Coaching opportunity open to chamber ensembles composed of students, avocational players, and/or emerging professionals of any age of educational level.