Jacqui Wilson, Bassoon

Bassoonist Dr. Jacqueline Wilson is an active performer, pedagogue, collaborator, and advocate. She currently serves as Principal Bassoonist of the Washington Idaho Symphony and Assistant Professor of Bassoon and Theory at Washington State University where she performs with the Solstice Faculty Wind Quintet. As an active soloist and chamber musician, she regularly presents recitals, masterclasses, and clinics including engagements at the International Double Reed Society Conference (Boulder, CO, Tampa, FL, Columbus, GA,), the International Alliance for Women in Music Conference (Corvallis, OR), the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium (Los Angeles, CA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the LunART Festival (Madison, WI). She is a founding member of Ensemble 337, an innovative bassoon and marimba duo with percussionist Dr. Christopher Wilson. An eager contributor to the double reed community, Dr. Wilson currently serves as a Co-Executive Director of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Bassoon Symposium, Grants Coordinator for the International Double Reed Society, and co-hosts the Double Reed Dish podcast with oboist Dr. Galit Kaunitz.

As an avid supporter of new music, Dr. Wilson frequently collaborates with composers on the creation of new works to expand the repertoire of the bassoon. She is especially passionate about embracing diversity in her performances by elevating music featuring underrepresented perspectives and lived experiences, with a special focus on collaborating with Indigenous composers. In this capacity, she has premiered and commissioned works by composers Juantio Becenti, Connor Chee, Raven Chacon, and others. She also actively creates resources that facilitate the performance of works from the 20th century and beyond. Her article, “Strategies for Learning Luciano Berio’s Sequenza XII,” co-authored with Dr. Christin Schillinger (Ithaca College), has been published in The Double Reed and the Journal de L’Association Bassons (France). Similarly, her dissertation, an analysis and performance guide of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings, has been utilized by noteworthy bassoonists worldwide.

Dr. Wilson holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Bassoon Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. She is also a graduate of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and Eastern Washington University. Her principal teachers include Benjamin Coelho, Matthew Ruggiero, and Lynne Feller-Marshall.