Dana Jessen: Bassoon and Electronics

Praised for her diverse talents, bassoonist Dana Jessen is highly active as a soloist, chamber musician, improviser, and new music specialist. At CCRMA, she will present an exciting program of recent works written for bassoon and electronics. 

Dana is the founder of Splinter Reeds, a San Francisco-based reed quintet, and has performed with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Ensemble Dal Niente, Pamela Z, Lucky Dragons, Rushes Ensemble, Calefax Quintet, Anthony Braxton’s Tri-Centric Orchestra, Amsterdam Contemporary Ensemble, Callithumpian Consort, and Harvard Group for New Music, among others. As the founder and artistic director of the New Music Bassoon Fund, Dana spearheaded the commission of Rushes, an hour-long composition for seven bassoons by composer Michael Gordon. Her recordings can be heard on Cantaloupe, RIOJA, Evil Rabbit, Oberlin Music, and the New World record labels. 

Dana holds a M.M. in bassoon performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and a M.M. in improvisation from the Artez Hogeschool voor de Kunst. She lived in Amsterdam for three years as the recipient of a J. William Fulbright Fellowship and a HSP Huygens Fellowship where she researched contemporary and improvised music. She is currently the Director for Professional Development at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.