Casey Gsell

New Zealand Double Reed Society

caseygsell — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 22:15:55 +0000

Queensland Oboe and Bassoon Bash

caseygsell — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 22:15:55 +0000

Australasian DR Society's QLD Oboe and Bassoon Bash

caseygsell — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:22:16 +0000

Queensland Conservatorium is hosting a double reed day. Come out on March 21 and show your double reed pride! I’ll be one of the guest teachers along with many great Australian musicians and teachers. There will be chamber music, workshops, help for beginners, masterclasses, instruments to try, concerts, and lots more.

Queensland Oboe and Bassoon Competition

caseygsell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:23:59 +0000

The Queensland Oboe and Bassoon Competition was this weekend in Brisbane, Australia. It was presented by the Australasian Double Reed Society and held at the Queensland Conservatorium. The Conservatorium is in the middle of a beautiful riverside park with big ferris wheel, an open-air market, and cafes. I ate some churros from a street vendor. Not quite like real Mexican churros, but still tasty.

I won the senior sections and best overall performer, performing Mozart’s Concerto for Bassoon, Dutilleux’s Sarabande et Cortège, and Mignone’s Valsa da Outra Esquina.

with the judges and sponsor

backstage

Music, Musician, Music-maker

caseygsell — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:47:51 +0000

Buddha and drum, resting

all photos taken in the Sydney Chinese Garden of Friendship

Koi

Moon Gate

Australasian Double Reed Society Competition

caseygsell — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:26:06 +0000

This weekend was the Australasian Double Reed Society Competition in Sydney, Australia. It was good fun! It was two full days of great double reed players of all ages. Oboes, bassoons, cor anglais, chamber music, and even a fagottino quartet!

I won first prize in the Senior divison, performing from Weber’s Concerto in F Major and Mignone’s 16 Valsas para Fagot Solo.

Here’s some photos from Sydney:

with the judges

(click the photo for bigger versions)

: for all my Sunstone Yoga friends: the best way to drink coconut water!

: Sydney Opera House

: the dragon’s blood tree, used to make red instrument varnish

Artemis, the huntress

caseygsell — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:22:53 +0000

On the airplane over to Australia, I was sitting in the window seat. I noticed the woman next to me was working on a book of music theory exercises, so I asked if she was a musician. She is an early childhood music teacher, and she does these books of theory exercises for fun. We had a great talk about Schubert, Schumann, Copeland, Shostakovich, Ravel, and Debussy (which New Zealanders pronounce de-BUSS-y). We traded teaching stories. All of a sudden, she stops, looks at me very seriously, and leans in as if to tell me a secret. Quietly, with great emphasis, she whispers:

“I am just mad for Music.”

Bassooning in Zürich

caseygsell — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:40:03 +0000

Here’s some photos from my audition trip to Zürich. I made the final round, winning 500 Swiss francs.

Löwendenkmal

to Lücerne

his master's voice

gnomes, at Bürgenstock

window shopping

from the church tower

Limmat River

warming up in the hostel

Zürich

Rangitoto Island

caseygsell — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:52:43 +0000

Here’s some pictures Matt took from our hike on Rangitoto Island. In Auckland’s harbor, it’s a small volcanic island that erupted about 600 years ago.

a lava cave (Lord of the Rings, anyone?)

The ferns are huge!

There are still fields of volcanic rocks where plants haven’t managed to take root yet.

A view from the summit.

“But I made a sign that said, ‘I Make a Mockery of Classical Music’”

caseygsell — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:53:47 +0000

The New York Times just ran a big article on Caleb Burhans, an NYC freelancer who went to Eastman (the same time as me). He is starting up a great career by playing multiple instruments, singing, composing, and performing in many styles. In many ways he represents the new generation of musicians that are figuring out how to make a living without traditional orchestral jobs. He works in so many different musical contexts. There’s a video interview with him as well.