Dana Jessen

Experience the world premiere of a new concert-length work for three bassoons, electronics, and objects, co-composed by Ben Roidl-Ward, Katie Young, and Dana Jessen.

$15 / $5 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door

Artist Bios

Hailed as a “bassoon virtuoso” (Chicago Reader), Dana Jessen tirelessly seeks to expand the boundaries of her instrument through original compositions, improvisations, and collaborative work with innovative artists. Over the past decade, she has presented dozens of world premiere performances throughout North America and Europe while maintaining equal footing in the creative music community as an improviser. Her solo performances are almost entirely grounded in electroacoustic composition that highlight her distinct musical language. As a chamber musician, Dana is the co-founder of the contemporary reed quintet Splinter Reeds, and has performed with Alarm Will Sound, Amsterdam’s DOEK Collective, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and the Tri-Centric Ensemble, among many others. A dedicated educator, Dana teaches at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and has presented masterclasses and workshops to a range of students from across the globe. More at: www.danajessen.com

Katherine Young’s expressive noises, curious timbres, and kinetic structures in her electroacoustic music and sonic art. Relationship building is central to her practice. She has worked closely with Yarn/Wire, Wet Ink, Dal Niente, Ensemble Nikel, Linda Jankowska, Olivia DePrato, Weston Olencki, and others. The LA Phil, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, Third Coast Percussion, the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art, and others have commissioned sounds. Katherine has documented her work as a bassoonist and improviser on numerous recordings, including with Sam Scranton as Beautifulish and Anthony Braxton. She teaches Emory University in Atlanta and is a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow. https://katherineyoung.info/

Recently named one of 23 artists who are “changing the sound of classical music” by the Washington Post, bassoonist Ben Roidl-Ward is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also serves as Principal Bassoonist of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Solo Bassoonist of Ensemble Dal Niente, and Contemporary Leader of the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. Ben’s dedication to working with and advocating for composers of his generation has led him to commission numerous works featuring the bassoon. He earned his DMA from Northwestern University, where he studied with David McGill and researched methods of notating multiphonics. Previously, Ben studied with Ben Kamins at Rice University, George Sakakeeny at the Oberlin Conservatory, and Francine Peterson in the Seattle area. https://www.benroidlward.com/

Katherine Young

Ben Roidl-Ward