Newest Recruit for our Bassoon Repair Department

August 23rd, 2024

New Recruit for our Bassoon Repair Department

We are very pleased to welcome Liam Fleet to our bassoon repair team this month, August 2024. 

Liam will train alongside our other repair technicians, on a graduated programme starting with servicing initially and eventually taking in the most complex jobs, including bassoon re-finishing, tuning work, remedial repairs and complex keywork upgrades. 

Liam graduated with first-class honours from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire this year, specialising in historical performance. Bassoon was his first instrument and oboe his second, initially on modern instruments before quickly developing a passion for their renaissance and baroque ancestors and studying all of them in tandem throughout his degree. His insight into, and playing capability of, the full range of double reed instruments of all periods will be invaluable to us now and in the future. 

A committee member of the British Double Reed Society, he enjoys bringing double reed instruments of all shapes and sizes to new audiences, be this enabling beginner and amateur players to try a contrabassoon or cor anglais for the first time or introducing the sounds of the oboe and bassoon to people who have never heard them before. Liam has freelanced with some of the UK’s top period instrument ensembles, including the Musical and Amicable Society and Instruments of Time and Truth, and plays alongside one of our other team members, Tristan Lambert, in the English Wind Consort.

Our association with Liam started back in 2019 when he applied to us for his period of work experience while in the Sixth Form, and he did the same during his degree as well, so he already has a good understanding of what we do and how we do it. 

His enthusiasm for, and commitment to, all aspects of bassoons and their performance has always been strongly evident, as seen in his contribution to the recent Waterhouse Day when he not only performed on baroque bassoon but also led the mass bassoon play-through at the end of the day.

Liam says,

“I am delighted to be joining the team at Double Reed Ltd. and am looking forward to becoming a fully-trained repairer. I have always been fascinated with how and why bassoons work and enjoyed maintaining my own bassoons and oboes, and this is a great next step for me. I am also looking forward to contributing to the business with my skills in, and knowledge of, historical and modern bassoons and oboes and their performance”.

Oliver Ludlow says,

“We are very pleased to have Liam join us. Not only will he help us cope with the growing demand for our repair services, but his unique skills and insights will really help us move the business forward for both modern and historic bassoons and also help us grow the oboe repair aspect of the business”.

Learn more about our repair service here: Repair Service