Join Dr. Kathleen Carter Bell (oboe) and Dr. Conor Bell (bassoon) in a clinic designed to demystify double reed fundamentals for ensemble directors. This session doesn’t assume extensive prior double reed experience and offers resources and concrete steps for improving issues to do with response, intonation, and tone. You will leave with practical knowledge to help your students sound better in ensembles and increase their joy in playing!
Kathleen Bell
- Biographical Information
Dr. Kathleen Carter Bell is an active educator and performer who serves as Assistant Professor of Oboe at West Texas A&M University. Bell is Principal Oboe with the Lubbock Symphony, Associate Principal & English Horn with the West Texas Symphony, English Horn with the Amarillo Symphony, and serves on faculty for the Interlochen Arts Camp and Indiana University’s Summer Music Clinic.
An avid performer, Kathleen has given solo and chamber recitals across the US and abroad. In 2019 she was nominated as IU’s first Seoul National University Chamber Music Festival performer, and her trio, Elicio Winds, has received multiple commissioning and recording grants. Their CD, Convergence: Music and Cultural Legacy, was released in 2023.
A dedicated educator, Bell has given masterclasses across the country and launched “Double Talk Workshop” which provides double reed resources to teachers. Kathleen has published pedagogical articles in AlaBreve and the Tennessee Musician, and in 2024 was named Review Editor for the International Alliance for Women in Music Journal. Kathleen also serves as Secretary for the International Double Reed Society’s Midsouth Chapter.
An advocate of new music, Kathleen has collaborated with many composers to commission new works, and her DM document was commended by IU as a “Dissertation of High Distinction.” She earned DM, MM and PD degrees from Indiana University and a BM degree from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory. In 2012, Kathleen was awarded the Barbara and David H. Jacobs Fellowship, granted for “excellence and leadership in the world of music."
Dr. Conor Bell enjoys a varied career as an educator, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at West Texas A&M University.
Bell is a passionate chamber musician, currently performing with the Elicio Winds and the Æther reed quintet. Recent chamber performances include conferences for the College Music Society, the International Double Reed Society, the National Flute Association, and community outreach concerts at various venues throughout the South.
Conor is also an active orchestral musician, having served as Principal Bassoon of the Owensboro Symphony for eight seasons, in addition to frequent appearances as a substitute bassoonist with ensembles including the Nashville and Illinois Symphonies. He has recently been appointed Principal Bassoon of the Amarillo Symphony.
As a performer, Conor is particularly interested in new music, championing the works of living composers and pursuing opportunities to commission new works, especially as a means to promote pieces by artists from under-represented backgrounds. He has more than two dozen premieres to his name, many of which came about by commission or consortium.
Conor holds doctoral and master’s degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, with minors in music theory and arts administration. He is fortunate to have studied with many wonderful teachers, including William Ludwig, Kathleen McLean, Tina Carpenter, and Christopher Millard.