Waterhouse Bassoon Day 2025

February 7th, 2025

Oliver Ludlow is very pleased to be organising the Waterhouse Bassoon Day 2025, for which registration is now open. This event is being held owing to the great generosity of Elisabeth Waterhouse.

The day will comprise of a series of short talks from highly regarded bassoon professionals and experts, with demonstrations, time to ask questions and for discussion. Topics range from the baroque bassoon, mini bassoons, right up to the latest techniques in modern bassoon playing. There will also be a fascinating overview of the man William Waterhouse by his son Graham Waterhouse, and an introduction to the famous bassoon collection by James Kopp, curator of the collection.

The Waterhouse Bassoon Collection, acquired by the late William Waterhouse in his travels around Europe over many decades, contains bassoons from the baroque era through to the mid-twentieth century, many of them from the most notable makers of their period. It is the foremost private collection of bassoons in the UK and possibly anywhere in the world.

Under careful supervision, there will be an opportunity to not only handle but also play select historical bassoons from the collection.

Date: Saturday 26 April 2025

Time: 10am until 16.00pm

Entry: free - limited spaces available

Register: email Oliver Ludlow at enquiries@doublereed.co.uk

Location: The collection is housed in Gloucestershire (the address and directions will be sent to attendees in due course)

Guest speakers include:

• Graham Waterhouse, PhD, composer and cellist, son of the late William Waterhouse

• James Kopp, PhD, Waterhouse collection curator, author of The Bassoon (Yale University Press)

• Wouter Verschuren, PhD, Historical Bassoon Professor at the Royal College of Music, principal bassoonist of The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

• Nikolaj Henriques, Bassoon Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Section Leader Bassoon of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

• Will Peebles, PhD, Professor of Bassoon at Western Carolina University

Here is our write up of last year's event, to give you an idea of what to expect from the upcoming day.

Let us know via email to enquiries@doublereed.co.uk if you would like to attend the 2025 event.

Places will be confirmed by Oliver Ludlow.