New bassoon professor, alum featured in WT Symphony Orchestra Concert

CANYON — One of West Texas A&M University’s newest music faculty members will be a featured soloist in an upcoming concert — a “full-circle moment” for a WT alumnus.

Dr. Conor Bell was hired this fall as assistant professor of bassoon in WT’s School of Music in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, stepping into the shoes of one of his own mentors, Dr. Tina Carpenter, who retired in May after 37 years at WT.

Now, Bell will perform as a soloist for the WT Symphony Orchestra at its Oct. 6 concert, several years after he was a member of that ensemble himself.

“This was the first orchestra I played with regularly,” said Bell, who most recently taught at Middle Tennessee State University and remains principal bassoonist for the Owensboro Symphony. “I’ve played with lots of different orchestras and various ensembles in my career since then, so this is a nice full-circle moment to come back.”

Bell will perform the second and third movements of Carl Maria von Weber’s Bassoon Concerto with the orchestra in a concert that also will feature this year’s edition of Ensemble Next, a highschool string trio coached by Evgeny Zvonnikov, WT’s Harrington lecturer in violin.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus. Admission is free.

The orchestra also will perform other classical favorites, including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter” Overture and Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1.”

“We’ve prepared an evening of delightful symphonic works to welcome you to the weekend — the superb musicianship of Dr. Bell, the emotional depth of Grieg, and the fireworks of RimskyKorsakov will take you on a very satisfying ride,” said Dr. Mark Bartley, WT’s director of orchestral activities and the Lilith Brainard Professor of Music.

Ensemble Next will perform the second movement of Erkki Melartin’s String Trio. Members are violinist Tesslyn Hazell from Amarillo High School, violist Maggie Marie Marhefka from Tascosa High School and cellist Alyssa Maye Barton from Tascosa.

The Ensemble Next project offers select students weekly lessons with Zvonnikov, as well as masterclasses with guest artists and performance opportunities across the region, state and beyond. Ensemble Next has performed with the WT Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music Amarillo in its first three years.

Bell graduated from WT in 2013, then earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He performs with the chamber trio Elicio Winds and champions the works of living composers, frequently pursuing opportunities to commission new works.

His first recital experiences occurred at WT under Carpenter’s tutelage.

“There’s definitely a lot of legacy to live up to, considering how long she taught here and all of the things her students have accomplished in their careers,” Bell said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my early performing experiences working with her, and learning how to effectively communicate your vision as a soloist is something I worked on a lot with her when I was here. She helped me become a better performer.”

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: New bassoon professor featured in WT Symphony Orchestra Concert