Woodwinds

Jessica Campbell

Bassoon

Jessica Campbell has played third bassoon and contrabassoon with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra since 2008 and is a regular freelancer in southern Arizona. Along with colleague Cindy Behmer, Jessica is half of the Kontra-Cor duo, a unique ensemble consisting two double reed players: one oboist/English hornist and one bassoonist/contrabassoonist. Kontra-Cor has commissioned and premiered new works for the ensemble and has performed on two continents. Additionally, Jessica has performed with the Arizona Opera, Tucson Chamber Artists, the Springer Opera House, and the Tallahassee, Albany (GA), and Columbus (GA) Symphonies.

Currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona, Jessica served as Teaching Assistant in the bassoon studio and performed with the Arizona Wind Quintet during the 2005 sabbatical leave of Dr. William Dietz. She received the Bachelor of Music degree from Columbus (GA) State University and the Master of Music degree from Florida State University where she also was a teaching assistant. She currently teaches instrumental music at BASIS School in Oro Valley, Arizona, teaches a studio of bassoonists and contrabassoonists in southern Arizona, and maintains a small bassoon reed-making business.

Jessica is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, Mu Phi Epsilon, and the International Double Reed Society. Her principal teachers include Ronald Wirt, William Ludwig, Jeffrey Keesecker, and William Dietz; she has performed in master classes with Michael McCraw, John Steinmetz, Jeffrey Lyman, Robert Williams, and William Waterhouse.

Jessica resides in Tucson with Greg (her husband) and Luna (the most beautiful cat in the world) and spends much of her free time chiseling, scraping, and whittling through mountains of bassoon reed cane.