Double Reed Day

MARYBETH MINNIS is the Assistant Director of the School of Music and Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Central Michigan University. She has been Principal Bassoonist of the Saginaw Bay Orchestra since 1985 and frequently performs with the Midland Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony and other area orchestras.  An active chamber musician she performs and tours with the Powers Woodwind Quintet.  Professor Minnis has performed and/or presented at several International Double Reed Society Conferences, TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association), the Michigan Music Conference, regional CBDNA Conferences, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago. She received degrees from Central Michigan University (BME) and the University of Michigan (Masters in Bassoon Performance).  Her teachers include Lewis Hugh Cooper and Robert Barris.

MaryBeth Minnis can be heard on Flights of Fancy, (Centaur Records 2603,) Bremen Town Musicians, (Centaur Records 2774,) Gems for Woodwind Quintet, (White Pine Music,) The Clarinet Chamber Music of Alvin Etler (Centaur Records,) and Hidden Gems for Woodwind Quintet, (Centaur Records).  

Dr. Andrew Parker is currently Assistant Professor of Oboe at the Butler School of Music.  Previously he was Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Iowa.  Andrew has provided master classes throughout the country at such institutions as the University of Michigan, Temple University, Rice University, the University of Florida, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Luther College, Mannes Preparatory Division, and the University of Virginia to name a few. He has been the guest artist at several double reed events around the country in addition to co-hosting a Double Reed Clinics and Competition for 5 years at the University of Iowa. He also served as an adjudicator for the National Youth Orchestra, hosted by Carnegie Hall.

Andrew maintains a rich career as an orchestral musician, soloist, and chamber player and addition to his experience as a teacher. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Quad City Symphony and the Great Falls Symphony. He recently performed the world premiere of an oboe concerto, Pillars or Creation, with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble. He has also played in many orchestras in North America, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Richmond Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the Flint Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, the Great Falls Symphony, and the Plymouth Symphony.  Andrew is currently the principal oboe of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to his collegiate teaching and performing experience, Andrew has also taught and coached chamber music at various international music festivals, including the Round Top Music Festival, Oboe Fest in San Juan, FEMUSC festival in Brazil, the Hartwick Festival in New York, and the Kinhaven Music School in Vermont. In 2009 he was appointed the English horn Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival; a position he maintained for four seasons.  In his tenure as English horn fellow, Andrew performed under the baton of several notable conductors.   

Andrew’s solo album, The Singing Oboe, was released under the MSR Records label in 2014.  The album was featured as cd of the week on the Boston station 99.5 WCRB .  He recently recorded an album of works for oboe, bassoon, and piano with Benjamin Coelho and Alan Huckleberry to be released on the MSR Records label.  He has also recorded a cd of Handel trio sonatas with Nancy Ambrose King.  

After receiving his Bachelor’s degree at the Eastman School of Music and Master’s degree at Yale University, he finished his doctoral studies at the University of Michigan.

Andrew's primary teachers have been Jeannette Bittar, Richard Killmer, and Nancy Ambrose King.  He has also studied with Elaine Douvas and Robert Walters.