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Roger Nye

Bassoon

The Rosalind Miranda Chair in memory of Shirley and Bill Cohen

Biography

Roger Nye joined the New York Philharmonic in 2005. He was born in Southwest Michigan, along the shore of Lake Michigan, where he spent his boyhood on his family’s blueberry farm. When it became clear that he was more interested in eating the fruit than learning the skill of his ancestors to grow and harvest it, he looked elsewhere for a meaningful career. Music always seemed to have a hold on him and after a brief stint on the alto and tenor saxophones, he discovered that the bassoon was responsible for many of the funnier soundtrack moments on Saturday morning cartoons. He began playing in seventh grade and by the time he was a junior in high school he was headed to the Interlochen Arts Academy to finish his last two years.

Nye’s career has taken him to many places, and he is one of the few bassoonists to have held positions in major orchestras playing both first and second bassoon. These positions require different skills, and he credits the many teachers he has studied with along the way who have taught him to be a good reed-maker first and foremost. Some of these teachers include Gail Warnaar, with whom he studied in high school, and Robert Barris, who was his teacher at Interlochen. Nye later attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, earning his bachelor of music in bassoon performance under the tutelage of K. David van Hoesen. One of the most transformational periods he experienced was studying with renowned bassoon pedagogue Norman Herzberg at UCLA. Nye found Los Angeles to be a very stimulating musical environment, and the regimen of study with Herzberg provided him with a level of technical and reed-making prowess that has become the foundation of his music-making.

After earning his master of music at USC, Nye joined the South Dakota Symphony as principal bassoon. It was a dream come true for a boy who had grown up reading about legends of the Old West like Crazy Horse, General Custer, Buffalo Bill, and Geronimo. Exploring the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota and teaching children on reservations are some of the highlights of his time living in the state, as well as appearing as soloist with the symphony and performing with the Dakota Wind Quintet. Nye later joined the Omaha Symphony as second bassoonist, a position he held off and on for 12 years. While playing with Omaha, Nye won the principal bassoon position with the Buffalo Philharmonic, joining that orchestra for one year, from 1994–95. After obtaining tenure in this position he decided to return to the Omaha Symphony, where he married principal oboe Caroline Park, to whom he is still married to this day.

In 1996 Nye won the principal bassoon position with Australia’s Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Edo de Waart — the orchestra’s principal conductor at the time — and the audition committee chose him from an international field of candidates, and he and his wife moved there the following year. Some of the highlights he counts from this time are performing in the world-renowned Sydney Opera House, living on Balmoral Beach on Middle Harbour, performing as soloist with the orchestra, and making many recordings with the orchestra including Stravinsky’s complete Firebird ballet.

Nye, his wife, and their two children, Zeke and Bella, live in historic Central New Jersey, the backdrop for several key battles during the Revolutionary War. An avid history buff, Nye is descended from the first Nye settler in America, Benjamin Nye, who came to America in the 1600s, and whose home is now a museum in East Sandwich, Massachusetts. Also through his English ancestry on his father’s side Nye is a relative of Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Calvin Coolidge. Another ancestor through this same family line was the first officer slain in the Revolutionary War, at the Battle of Bunker Hill, prompting George Washington to attend the funeral at Nye’s great-great-great-grandfather’s house. This home was located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the future grounds of Harvard University. In addition to the Adamses, another famous abolitionist family in the Nye family tree are the Shaws, including Robert Gould Shaw, portrayed in the film Glory, who commanded the all-Black 54th Massachusetts Regiment during the Civil War.

When Nye is not performing he enjoys going to the shore with his family and restoring classic cars. He still owns the 1969 Pontiac that was his first car in high school, and is restoring another ‘60s-era classic from General Motors. In addition to his passion for playing the bassoon he enjoys classic movies and is currently writing a screenplay. Nye is on the faculty of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

“My earliest musical memory was listening to the music of the Bugs Bunny cartoons — lots of virtuosic wind playing. I loved how the music had a direct correlation to the characters. That’s when I first heard the bassoon, though I didn’t know its name.”

Interview with Roger Nye

THE FACTS: Born in Douglas, Michigan. Bachelor of music degree, Eastman School of Music; student of K. David Van Hoesen. Master’s in bassoon performance, USC School of Music; student of Norman Herzberg. Prior to the Philharmonic: bassoonist, Omaha Symphony, 11 seasons; principal bassoon, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic. Recorded Stravinsky’s complete Firebird with Edo de Waart and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. At the Philharmonic: Joined in September 2005.

EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORY: Listening to the music of the Bugs Bunny cartoons — lots of virtuosic wind playing. I loved how the music had a direct correlation to the characters. That’s when I first heard the bassoon, though I didn’t know its name. Subsequently, I saw a woodwind quintet on television and put two and two together. I began playing the saxophone in the sixth grade, and in seventh grade I was allowed to switch to bassoon. From the first moment I felt I had found “my voice.”

WHO WAS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT MENTOR? I have had many important mentors in my life, most notably Norman Herzberg, whom I studied with at USC. He was a legend in the bassoon world due to his unswerving devotion to mastering the instrument and training his students the same way. He also happened to study with Simon Kovar, a former bassoonist with the New York Philharmonic.

WERE YOU INVOLVED IN ANY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN HIGH SCHOOL? I ran crosscountry and track until I aspired to be a professional musician.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE IF NOT A MUSICIAN? A screenwriter. I’ve actually written a screenplay and have others in mind.

WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF THE BASSOON? Projecting the sound over the orchestra. It has a timbre that is easily swallowed by the strings.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT WITH THE ORCHESTRA: There have been so many since I joined. Recent ones: playing Mahler’s Third Symphony with Alan Gilbert, and our concerts with Bernard Haitink.

WHAT’S IN YOUR CD PLAYER RIGHT NOW? I almost always have a Sinatra CD handy. Right now I’m listening to Sinatra singing Jobim.

ARE THERE MUSICIANS IN YOUR FAMILY? My parents both played in high school band. I have an uncle who still plays clarinet and saxophone. My wife is an oboist and my eight-year-old son is taking piano and drum set lessons.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK? Spending time with my family is about all I have time for!

As of May 2012

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