Bonnie Fillmore Cox

Bonnie

Bonnie is the Bassoon Brothers sole sister and was voted the girl with the nicest bassoons. She plays on a Fox Model 201 bassoon and Fox Contrabassoon. Besides being Principal bassoon of the Oregon Ballet Theatre and first call for the Oregon Symphony, Bonnie is a full time nurse. Code name FDG and RN. Bonnie answers questions below.

• What was your first memory of hearing a bassoon?:

  I wore out an old "Peter and the Wolf" LP as well as an "Introduction to the Orchestra" LP. Truthfully, I'm not sure I knew that I was listening to the bassoon until I started playing it. Loved the sound track to 'Leave It to Beaver' and 'Fred Flintstone'.

  
  
• When was the first time you saw a picture of a bassoon?:

  I had to look it up in the encyclopedia when I was 12 to see what a bassoon looked like after my parents announced that I would play the bassoon. My reaction: that thing is taller than I am - you've got to be kidding! It wasn't until I began attending Milwaukie Symphony concerts soon after that that I actually saw and heard a "live" one.

  
  
• When was the first time you saw a real bassoon?:

  
  
• Did that have any impact?:

  
  
• What was the first musical instrument that you played?:

  I studied piano from the time I was eight. The instrument was a George Steck baby grand which I inherited from my mother and which all of my children have played at one time or another.

  
  
• What was your first woodwind instrument?:

  Besides kazoo and toy trombone, I began on bassoon at age 12.

  
  
• How did you come to play the bassoon?:

  As I mentioned above, it wasn't my decision. After getting over the initial shock at the size of it, and the worry over my image carrying around a huge case (which was twice the size of today's compact variety), I soon took to it like a duck to water. My sisters would yell down the stairs when I practiced "The train's coming!". The bassoon sounds like a lot of things, but I'm not sure a train is one of them!

  
  
• Were you happy initially, or did you have problems with it?:

  
  
• What was the first recording of a bassoon that you played at home?:

  Probably Maurice Allard and Vivaldi's E-Minor Concerto on Nonesuch label.

  
  
• Did you have any favorite bassoonists on recordings?:

  Maurice Allard (for a French bassoonist, he's not bad) and later John Miller and Milan Turkovic.

  
  
• What was it like being a teenage bassoonist?:

  Have to say it was great. Because there always seems to be a shortage of teenage bassoonist, I got to play in a lot of ensembles, unlike my clarinet and flute playing compatriots.

  
  
• What was it like being a female bassoonist?:

  I was never uncomfortable as a female bassoonist. In fact, the few other bassoonists I encountered in those years were mainly female. I remember the experience of All State Band and sharing the section leader spot in a 7-person section with a guy who wasn't real wild about sharing the chair with me.

  
  
• What were some of your best bassoon moments as a teenage bassoonist?:

  I got to play in all ensembles, including jazz ensembles, and all pieces because there wasn't a lot of competition. I loved solo and ensemble contests. I loved the attention!

  
  
• What were some of your worst moments as a teenage bassoonist?:

  I was handed a saxophone in HS to play in the jazz band. I gave it several weeks before I decided they would have to get used to a bassoon in the jazz band. I was a terrible saxophonist! I probably should have done things in reverse - first learned the sax, then the bassoon!

  
  
• What solo pieces did you play starting out?:

  Haydn Millar Adagio & Rondo, Galliard Sonatas, Vivaldi Concertos in G Minor and E Minor.

  
  
• What method books did you use?:

  Rubank, of course, all 3 levels, Weissenborn Method, and Spencer The Art of Bassoon Playing.

  
  
• What were your solo competition pieces?:

  von Weber and Mozart Concertos, also von Weber Andante and Hungarian Rondo.

  
  
• Where did you study bassoon in college?:

  University of Illinois with dear old Sanford Berry (2 yrs), University of Minnesota with John Miller - B.A., then Northwestern U. with Willard Elliot - M.M.

  
  
• Who were your teachers?:

  
  
• Did you expect to become a professional bassoonist upon college graduation?:

  Ideally, yes - my training was certainly in that direction, but I also knew it would take a good bit of perserverance, and time would tell.

  
  
• What happened to you in the years that followed graduation?:

  After working 10 months at an insurance company, I lucked out, played an audition for a job in Caracas, and soon joined the hoards of other college graduates heading to South America for employment. While in Caracas on a 2-yr. contract, I met and married my husband who later won a horn job in the Oregon Symphony in Portland where I have been freelancing ever since.

  
  
• What orchestras have you performed with?:

  Orquesta Sinfonica Municipal de Caracas, Oregon Symphony, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Eugene Symphony and prior - Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

  
  
• What festivals have you played with?:

  Most of the festivals in Oregon including Oregon Bach, Peter Britt, Oregon Coast, Ernest Bloch, Cascade, and Abbey Bach.

  
  
• What honors have you received as a bassoonist?:

  "Sole" sister of the Bassoon Bros!. Was asked to solo with a couple of local ensembles.

  
  
• What is your worst nightmare as a bassoonist?:

  Forgetting my reeds for a performance or splitting my favorite reed during a performance - both of which I have done!

  
  
• What are your favorite solos?:

  Orchestral: Scheherazade; Concertos: Mozart, Vanhal and Vivaldi concertos; Sonatas: Michele Corrette, Fasch, St. Saens and Telemann, Mozart K.292.

  
  
• What are the most important points to relate to a young player?:

  It is a great instrument, but not easy to master - fingerings are complex requiring great thumb agility. But with lots of practice, the technical problems can be overcome - just listen to some good recordings to be convinced of that. Also, reeds and later reedmaking have to be mastered (though does one ever really master reedmaking? - there are so many variables), and that can be a bit of a chore. Again, with lots of practice working on and making reeds, that skill will come.

  
  
• Is there anything else about the bassoon that needs to be mentioned?:

  When you get down and out about the complexities of the bassoon, pick up the contrabassoon. Only then will you get a true appreciation for the bassoon as well as for good contrabassoon players.

  
  
• Has the bassoon ever caused a problem with a personal relationship or your marriage?:

  Au contraire...when I shifted focus away from the bassoon for awhile to work on a nursing license....now that is when my troubles began...it's a long story... Just call me Bonnie Fillmore Cox, RN (Reed Nerd),

  
  
• How did the bassoon change your life?:

  Added uniqueness, humor and soul!

  
  
• Have you had therapy because of being a bassoonist, or performer?:

  Performing has never been a serious problem on the bassoon, which is something I can't say for the piano which gave me intense stage fright. Sure, I've gotten a good case of nerves, but am able to deal with it. I believe that some nervousness is a good thing and will put you in a good place to perform a little bit better. I have been fortunate to escape physical ailments so far, though that left hand stretch on the contrabassoon seems to get harder all the time!