Tamás Benkócs (born 1972) is a Hungarian classical bassoonist.
Tamás Benkócs is a world famous bassoonist. He studied music at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary, with Laszlo Hara, Jozsef Vajda and Tibor Fulemile. As a result of his exceptional talent, while still studying, at the age of twenty, he was appointed as principal bassoonist of the Budapest Festival Orchestra which for many years has a secure place as one of the top ten orchestras in the world. He joined the newly founded Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in 1998 as principal bassoonist and in 2004 returned to his native Hungary where he continued working as principal with the Budapest Festival Orchestra.
Benkócs as a soloist is known for his beautiful rich tone, his deep musicality and his unparalelled technical capabilities taking his instrument to unseen dimensions. He has performed in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Hungary, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, and performs regularly with the Budapest Festival Academy. He has recorded a number of CDs, notably recording five discs of Vivaldi's complete bassoon concertos for the Naxos label and appearing on over 40 CD's in total which made him truly one of the most successful bassoon players of all time.
The Tennessee Bassoon Quartet, formed in 1985, consists of bassoonists Keith McClelland, James Lotz, James Lassen and Michael Benjamin. The four, from Knoxville and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, formed the group to provide additional performance opportunities for their bassoon talents. They have performed primarily in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky with a repertoire that includes Renaissance music, jazz, Gilbert and Sullivan, Saint-Saëns, and Scott Joplin.
Iván Fischer is a Hungarian conductor and composer.
András Ligeti was a Hungarian classical violinist and conductor who worked internationally. He was chief conductor of the Hungarian State Opera House until 1985, and chief conductor to the Budapest Symphony Orchestra from 1989 to 1993. He recorded with a focus on Hungarian music and contemporary music.
Meyrick Alexander is an English bassoonist. He is one of the UK's best known bassoonists and bassoon teachers.
Marc Engelhardt is a German bassoonist.
Barnabás Kelemen is a Hungarian violinist, chamber musician, and professor. He is the founder and artistic director of the Festival Academy Budapest and he co-established the Kelemen Quartet. His work has been recognized with the highest professional and state honors: he has been awarded Liszt, Bartók-Pásztory and Kossuth Prizes, Prima and the London-based Gramophone Awards, and is the holder of the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.
John Miller is a musician and bassoonist.
Gregory Vajda is a Hungarian clarinetist, composer and conductor.
William Waterhouse was an English bassoonist and musicologist. He played with notable orchestras, was a member of the Melos Ensemble, professor at the Royal Northern College of Music, author of the Yehudi Menuhin Music Guide "Bassoon", of The New Langwill Index, and contributor to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Iván Erőd was a Hungarian-Austrian composer and pianist. Educated in Budapest, he emigrated to Austria in 1956, where he studied at the Vienna Music Academy. He was successful as a pianist and composer of operas, chamber music and much more, with elements from serialism, Hungarian folk music and jazz. He first was a professor of music theory and composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (1967–1989), then a professor of composition at the Vienna Music Academy from 1989.
Martin Gatt is a British classical bassoonist. He studied under Archie Camden at the Royal College of Music in London. He served as principal bassoonist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1958 to 1966, after which he was appointed principal bassoonist of the English Chamber Orchestra from 1966 to 1976. He also held the post of principal bassoon of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1977 to 1998, and was the bassoonist in the Barry Tuckwell Wind Quintet from 1967 to 1991. He is also active in music education. At the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts he founded the Department of Wind, Brass and Percussion. He taught at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama from 1967 to 1984, and is currently a professor of Bassoon at the Royal College of Music.
Valery Popov is a Russian bassoonist, described as the foremost of his era in Russia in his Grove Music Online entry.
Milan Turković is an Austrian classical bassoonist and conductor. He originates from an Austro-Croatian family, grew up in Vienna and became internationally known as one of the few bassoon soloists. Over the past two decades, he has become a successful conductor, making appearances all over the world.
Benjamin Kamins is an American bassoonist, currently active and nationally recognized as both a teacher and performer. He spent his childhood in Los Angeles, and currently resides in Houston.
Gustavo Núñez is a Uruguayan bassoonist trained at Musikhochschule Hannover and the Royal College of Music. He has been principal bassoon of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, together with Ronald Karten, since 1995. In Madrid, at the Reina Sofía School of Music, Núñez is referred to as 'el gran profesor de fagot' in recognition of his expertise and contribution to the field.
Lyndon Jeffrey Frank Watts is an Australian bassoonist. He is principal bassoonist of the Münchner Philharmoniker and an academic teacher.
Julie Price is an English bassoonist. She is principal bassoonist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
The Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra is a professional Hungarian orchestra.
Mordechai Rechtman was an Israeli bassoonist, conductor, academic teacher and arranger. He was principal bassoonist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra from 1946 to 1991. He was professor of bassoon at the Tel Aviv University from 1968 to 2002, and taught as a guest professor internationally, including the Indiana University School of Music, the Juilliard School and the Royal Academy of Music. Rechtmann was also known for transcriptions and arrangements for wind quintets and other ensembles that he had founded and conducted, specifically of concertos.
Bram van Sambeek is a Dutch bassoon soloist and teacher.