Participants of all ages and performance levels are invited to join Georgia State University School of Music for Double Reed Day! A beginners track is available for students new to double reeds, as well as an advanced track for more experienced players. Each year, Double Reed Day hosts master classes, double reed ensembles, recitals, exhibitors, and more! Beginning Track participants receive an hour workshop dedicated to building a strong foundation of introductory technique, then go on to join the Advanced Track in master classes, artist recitals, and the Double Reed Ensemble. The day concludes with all participants playing in the annual Double Reed Ensemble concert.
JOINING US IN 2021
Alyssa Morris and Susan Maxwell
Kansas State University
Alyssa Morris has delighted audiences around the world with her “skillful,” “fashionable,” and “commendable” musicianship (Fanfare). Dr. Morris serves as Assistant Professor of Oboe at Kansas State University. She has appeared as a soloist in venues throughout the United States, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Western Europe. She performed as a recitalist at the 2014 and 2016 International Double Reed (IDRS) Conventions at New York University and Columbus State University. Dr. Morris was Associate Principal Oboe of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and has also held positions with the Utah Wind Symphony and the Utah Baroque Ensemble. She has additionally performed with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Cincinnati Bach Ensemble, the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and the Utah Lyric Opera.
Regarding her equally expansive work as a composer, the American Record Guide writes that Dr. Morris’s music “stands out” as “elegant” and “imaginative.” Her chamber music is performed extensively around the world, and has been presented at five IDRS Conventions, the National Flute Association Convention, and the Society of Composers Inc. National Convention.
Dr. Morris has been commissioned to write music for the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Arizona State University faculty wind quartet, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music double reed trio, Brigham Young University’s Sundance Trio, Ohio University’s Athenia Chamber Ensemble, and Carolyn Hove (principal English horn of the L.A. Philharmonic), to name a few. Dr. Morris’s music has been recorded on the Equilibrium, Centaur and MSR Classics labels, and her compositions are published by TrevCo Music Publishing.
Susan Gustavson Maxwell has dedicated her career to three dimensions of musicianship; she is a teacher, performer and reedmaker. Currently, she teaches Bassoon and Introduction to Music. She has also taught Music Theory, and Leadership in Practice, in the School of Leadership Studies. She performs regularly with the Konza Wind Quintet and the Tallgrass Trio. She is very proud of her students’ accomplishments.
Dr. Maxwell’s teaching includes several areas of special interest. One is the art of playing high notes on the bassoon. This has resulted in a study for bassoonists that has been published by Prairie Dawg Press. It includes scale practice, short melodic exercises, and a fingering chart.
Some of Dr. Maxwell’s performance engagements have included substitute positions with The Kansas City Symphony, The Kansas City Lyric Opera, The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, The Tulsa Philharmonic, The Lake Shore Symphony in Chicago, Illinois, Orquesta Sinfónica de Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico, and a two-year position with The Wichita Symphony in Wichita, Kansas.
