Category: Bassoon

all things bassoon

Bassoons in the Backyard!

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Friday, August 20, 5:00 pm

What could be more fun than a bassoon concert? Nothing!

Join Katie Legere, Dorothy Cotton, Daniel McConnachie, and Mark Frederick for our third backyard concert of summer 2021. We will be playing a super-fun selection of pieces from Tangos to Teddy Bears!

Admission is ‘pay what you can’ with the proceeds going towards The Kingston Baroque Consort project (more details to follow!)

We ask that you bring a chair or blanket to sit on. Masks will currently be needed to enter and leave (although you may remove them when seated) and Provincial health guidelines are still in effect. 

Please RSVP to Katie at legerek@queensu.ca ! Looking forward to some live music! We are 1204 Highway 2, Kingston.

Happy Hour Sound Bytes Concert – Friday April 27th, 2018

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Join us for the third concert in our Happy Hour Sound Bytes 2017-2018 season this Friday, April 27th, 2018

This concert features 1994 Juno nominee and veteran of the Canadian music scene, blues and jazz artist, Georgette Fry.

The concert is at 5pm at St Mark’s Lutheran Church, 263 Victoria Street. Admission is $15 at the door but only $5 for Queen’s students!

Next concert, May 18th, features Chris on bass clarinet and Katie on contrabassoon, joined by our favourite pianist, Michel Szczesniak.

Happy Hour Sound Bytes Concert – Friday March 16th

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Join us for the third concert in our Happy Hour Sound Bytes 2017-2018 season this Friday, March 16th


This concert features Chris Alfano, clarinet; Katie Legere, bassoon; Cory VanAllen, horn; and Bill Egnatoff, flute, playing charming Classical works for wind quartet by Mozart and Rossini.

The concert is at 5pm at St Mark’s Lutheran Church, 263 Victoria Street. Admission is $15 at the door but only $5 for Queen’s students!

Next concert, April 27th, will feature 1994 Juno nominee and veteran of the Canadian music scene, blues and jazz artist, Georgette Fry.

Go ahead, distract me!

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Last week I was practicing for a upcoming solo appearance and I thought I would try out different ways of playing through distraction.

I love listening to Podcasts and Podcast playlist (http://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastplaylist) is one of my favourites. So.. I opened it up on the stereo in my studio and turned it up so that I could here myself play and hear my metronome but could still also follow the program.

Why would I do this to myself? Isn’t it tough enough to concentrate without making it harder? Aren’t you supposed to get rid of every distraction and focus?

Well… yes you are but have you ever noticed that when you’re performing all kinds of things become a distraction? It’s a lot like the great advice I read here from the Bulletproof musician:

How to Make the Most of a Dress Rehearsal

Yes, I absolutely try to emulate a performance before it happens.

  • If I’m standing for a solo – I practice it standing
  • Before the concert I play in the shoes I’m going to wear
  • I try out the dress/outfit (is the skirt too short when I sit? Does it gets caught in my keys? Does (heavens forbid) the top work itself down while I play?!)

But it’s hard to emulate that person in the front row snoring or coughing or leaving suddenly…. so I also try to learn to focus through distractions.

Sometimes i also discover a new podcast too!

Katie