Myvanwy Smith, Saving the Bassoon

Academy student Myvanwy Smith was interviewed on BBC Radio Sheffield as part of a campaign called ‘Save the Bassoon!’ because of the scarcity of new players and a desperate shortage of bassoonists for orchestras.

The campaign to encourage the take-up and appreciation of the instrument began in Amsterdam in June at the Holland Festival and spread across Europe through professional musician networks.

Virtuosic bassoonist Bram Van Sambeek leads the cause and plans to visit London with his rock version of Vivaldi’s bassoon repertoire next year.

Click Here to Read About the Campaign

Myvanwy was asked by Rony Robinson to talk about;

• why she decided to take up the bassoon

• how challenging and rewarding the instrument was to play

• how accessible she felt classical music was to young people of different backgrounds

• how worrying the shortage of players was to the music world

• what she felt should be done about the shortage.

Sharing the interview was an adult bassoonist called Glynn Foley who is a member of ‘A Good Reed’ Ensemble from Sheffield. Myvanwy played ‘Ivor, The Engine’ Theme music and some improvisation performed together with Glynn.

If you would like to hear the interview on the BBC iplayer Radio Sheffield follow the link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02xkm5m