Repertoire for solo bassoon is becoming more common as music advances and evolves. There is a vast array of works for solo bassoon; however, only a small percentage of those are by composers from an underrepresented community, with an even smaller percentage written by composers with East Asian or Southeast Asian heritage. Furthermore, these works have little to no high-quality studio recordings. Additionally, these works often include contemporary techniques such as multiphonics, difficult tremolos, flutter tonguing, pitch bends, and glissandi, among others. This adds another layer of inaccessibility for those bassoonists who are unfamiliar with how to perform these techniques and therefore may be afraid to “take the plunge” into contemporary works that utilize them. I have created performance guides for Tilt by Tonia Ko, Legend of the Sea by Xinyan Li, and Jeu des Cinq Éléments II by Tôn-Thât Tiêt, in hopes of promoting and raising the accessibility of works by living composers with East Asian and Southeast Asian backgrounds.

The purpose of this DMA project is to broaden the bassoon repertoire from Latin American composers with the commission and recording of a new work, Duasteño for bassoon and clarinet, by Arodi Martínez Serrano (Mexico) and to record the existing works Duasteco by Arodi Martínez Serrano, Argenta by Noelia Escalzo (Argentina), and Fagot Pukllay by Daniel Cueto (Peru). In order to provide a better understanding of these works and the composers, this document contains transcripts of interviews with each composer, including their styles, aesthetics, and backgrounds. The interviews with the composers are the primary sources for this document. Additionally, a performance guide is included providing recommendations to the bassoonists preparing these works. It is my hope that the recordings and performance guide included in this project can be a helpful resource for the bassoonist seeking to perform new works by Latin American composers.

For this project, I commissioned and recorded five new works for contrabassclarinet from five different composers. Composition parameters were given to each composer before they started writing which detailed what needed to be included in each work. Four of the composers were asked to utilize a single, difficult aspect of playing the instrument, which included intonation, low note technique and response, phrasing, and articulation. For the fifth work, the composer was asked to incorporate all parameters of the project. Because of the differences between contrabass clarinet designs, I recorded each work three times using the Leblanc Vito, Leblanc “Paperclip”, and Selmer Model 41 contrabass clarinets to demonstrate that the works were adaptable and playable. In this paper, I will outline the parameters of the project, describe the instruments used for recording and provide a performance guide for each work. It is my hope that these works will provide an enjoyable way for future contrabass clarinetists to become more proficient performers of the instrument.

The versatility of the bassoon has always been a signature trait, noticeable both inthe diversity of canonic works conceived for the instrument and in transcriptions. While Russian composer and pianist, Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), is well-known for his orchestral and piano compositions, outside from moments in his compositions for orchestra, most woodwind musicians have been unable to experience his solo repertoire and writing style. Prokofiev did not write any solo compositions for the bassoon. In fact, his only solo work for woodwinds is his Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 94. The purpose of this project is to transcribe Prokofiev’s Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 94 for bassoon and piano as an addition to the bassoon solo literature. The project begins with an historical overview of both composer and composition, then turns into a description of the rationale and process of transcription, followed by the transcription for bassoon and piano itself as well as a complete recording.

During my career as an oboist I have only had the opportunity to play four piecesfor oboe by Peruvian composers. It was not until I started my doctoral degree that I found out how difficult it is for people, not only to find copies of these pieces, but also to find the pieces themselves. Due to this obstacle, it is time for a bibliography of Peruvian oboe music to exist. This document annotates a list of oboe (and English horn) music by Peruvian composers detailing 130 works, for solo oboe, as well as chamber works up to 8 players, by thirty composers. Each entry includes a brief biography of the composer, original title of the piece, composition date, instrumentation, publishers, commissions, dedications, and duration of the piece in minutes and seconds. Some entries also include miscellaneous notes on the piece. Incipits of each movement are included as well as the movement title and tempo markings. Works by composers born and educated in Peru who emigrated to other countries, or changed nationalities is included. This bibliography includes all the music found up to October, 2021.