If you’ve never heard a bassoon quartet, you might want to perk up.
Four Jacobs School of Music graduate students play the double reed instrument in the No Repeats Bassoon Quartet.
This spring, the recently-formed quartet has taken on the challenge to create a unique version of the Foxwoods Resort Casino’s “The Wonder of it All” jingle.
Ten finalists will compete Feb. 27 in the Fox Theater at Foxwoods in Connecticut for a chance to win $25,000.
The grand prize includes a $5,000 cash prize, a $5,000 shopping spree for new equipment, $5,000 for studio time, $10,000 for a promotional advertising package and the winning song featured in Foxwoods’ commercials.
Out of the 100 submissions, No Repeats’ song is one of two instrumental pieces, said Robert Phillips, a member of the quartet.
With the contest, Phillips said, the group hopes to gain exposure.
“If we win this competition, it will be a big start to our careers and give us publicity,” Phillips said. “It would bring some overdue national exposure to the instrument and craft.”
If the quartet makes it to the finals, Phillips said he will alter the jingle. The changes, he said, are inspired by “Peter and the Wolf,” a song in which a narrator is speaking while bassoons play in the background.
The narrator will speak about a man’s trip to the casino and will “culminate into the wonder of it,” Phillips said. “I think that would give us a little bit of an edge.”
Although the quartet players are determined to win and are passionate about their craft, they have a sense of humor about themselves.
“It’s the kind of ensemble where you can take yourselves as seriously as you want to, but you can also do a lot of fun things with it,” Phillips said.
In German, the word ‘bassoon’ means a “bundle of sticks,” a term bassoon players take literally when they play.
“It’s four people holding a bunch of sticks, which is really funny to me because when you think of classical music you think of beautiful string instruments,” said Kathleen McLean, associate professor of bassoon at the School of Music and coach for the bassoon quartet.
The quartet performs anything from classical pieces to pop tunes.
Phillips said he tried composing a bassoon piece of the song “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé , but it only worked with three bassoons.
The versatility of the bassoon is what got Laura Bennett, a member of the bassoon quartet, hooked. She said the lighthearted, fun sound helps audiences relate to the quartet.
“People who don’t know what a bassoon quartet is usually become affectionate to the quartet really fast,” Bennett said.
The School of Music boasts 24 players in the bassoon program, one of the largest programs in the nation. William Ludwig, professor of bassoon at the Jacobs School of Music, said IU is the only university that has two full-time bass professors in residence.
Even though all the bassoon players are vying for spots in the school, the competition is not cutthroat.
“We know how hard it is to make it as a professional or orchestral musician,” Phillips said. “It makes all of us work that much harder for sake of competition and make a living doing what we love.”
Four Jacobs School of Music graduate students play the double reed instrument in the No Repeats Bassoon Quartet.
This spring, the recently-formed quartet has taken on the challenge to create a unique version of the Foxwoods Resort Casino’s “The Wonder of it All” jingle.
Ten finalists will compete Feb. 27 in the Fox Theater at Foxwoods in Connecticut for a chance to win $25,000.
The grand prize includes a $5,000 cash prize, a $5,000 shopping spree for new equipment, $5,000 for studio time, $10,000 for a promotional advertising package and the winning song featured in Foxwoods’ commercials.
Out of the 100 submissions, No Repeats’ song is one of two instrumental pieces, said Robert Phillips, a member of the quartet.
With the contest, Phillips said, the group hopes to gain exposure.
“If we win this competition, it will be a big start to our careers and give us publicity,” Phillips said. “It would bring some overdue national exposure to the instrument and craft.”
If the quartet makes it to the finals, Phillips said he will alter the jingle. The changes, he said, are inspired by “Peter and the Wolf,” a song in which a narrator is speaking while bassoons play in the background.
The narrator will speak about a man’s trip to the casino and will “culminate into the wonder of it,” Phillips said. “I think that would give us a little bit of an edge.”
Although the quartet players are determined to win and are passionate about their craft, they have a sense of humor about themselves.
“It’s the kind of ensemble where you can take yourselves as seriously as you want to, but you can also do a lot of fun things with it,” Phillips said.
In German, the word ‘bassoon’ means a “bundle of sticks,” a term bassoon players take literally when they play.
“It’s four people holding a bunch of sticks, which is really funny to me because when you think of classical music you think of beautiful string instruments,” said Kathleen McLean, associate professor of bassoon at the School of Music and coach for the bassoon quartet.
The quartet performs anything from classical pieces to pop tunes.
Phillips said he tried composing a bassoon piece of the song “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé , but it only worked with three bassoons.
The versatility of the bassoon is what got Laura Bennett, a member of the bassoon quartet, hooked. She said the lighthearted, fun sound helps audiences relate to the quartet.
“People who don’t know what a bassoon quartet is usually become affectionate to the quartet really fast,” Bennett said.
The School of Music boasts 24 players in the bassoon program, one of the largest programs in the nation. William Ludwig, professor of bassoon at the Jacobs School of Music, said IU is the only university that has two full-time bass professors in residence.
Even though all the bassoon players are vying for spots in the school, the competition is not cutthroat.
“We know how hard it is to make it as a professional or orchestral musician,” Phillips said. “It makes all of us work that much harder for sake of competition and make a living doing what we love.”
