About Dr. Stevens

Dr. Gina Stevens is active as a free lance performer, teacher, reed maker and music administrator in the Houston area. She maintains an active private studio, conducts in-school master classes, and has taught at Bocal Majority bassoon camp and adjunct at University of Houston Downtown.  

 

She has performed nationally and internationally in a broad variety of styles and genres ranging from extensive solo recital performances, chamber music, symphony orchestra, and opera and ballet orchestras. Her Houston performance credits include Amistad Chamber Players, Musiqa, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Scirocco Winds, and others. She was the Principal Bassoon and Orchestra Liaison to the Board of Directors for the Mesa Symphony from 1998-2006.  Other performance credits include the Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, Arizona Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra Sinaloa de Culiacan, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, American Bassoon Trio, Maine Chamber Ensemble, Jordan Bay Wind Trio and American Ballet East Orchestra.

 

A native of New York, she holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Southern Maine, and Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in performance degrees from Arizona State University. Her bassoon teachers include Bob Lewis, Ardith Keef, Otto Eifert, Jack Rauch, Jeffrey Lyman, and Eric Arbiter.  She has been a performing participant in masterclasses with Toshiuki Shimada, John Miller, Norman Herzberg, Whitney Crockett and Benjamin Kamins. 

 

As a music administrator she served as Executive Director of Musiqa (2007-2012) leading them as they doubled their budget, added educational programming and won 5 consecutive awards from the National Endowment for the Arts.  As Co-Executive Director and then Director of Marketing and Production for the Mesa Symphony (2005-2006) she was instrumental in their strategic planning process and doubling subscription ticket sales during the year before they moved into their permenant performing venue.  She was the Founder and Business Manager for the Fountain Hills Chamber Players (1996-2006), managing all aspects of the administration and artistic direction for the ensemble's concert series and educational programming.  Her current adminstrative efforts are directed toward helping Scirocco Winds and Amistad Chamber Players grow.

 

Chamber Groups

Scirocco Winds

 Scirocco Winds


Houston's premiere woodwind quintet was founded in 2008.  The group is dedicated to performing modern works by American composers in addition to classical standards. The group gave its debut performance at the opening of Houston's downtown park, Discovery Green.  Their appearance was part of the Fresh Arts Concert Series and the ensemble was featured on the local morning TV show Great Day Houston.  Since then they have been heard at many venues in the greater Houston area as well as at the 2011 National Flute Association Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Members of Scirocco Winds are: Kimberly Clark (flute), Kerry Hughes (oboe), Ben Haeuser (clarinet), Tianna Bonser (horn), and Gina Stevens (bassoon).

 

Please visit www.sciroccowinds.com for more information.

Amistad Chamber Players

Amistad Chamber Players

Founded in 1982, the mission of Amistad Chamber Players is to increase the understanding an appreciation of classical Latin America music in the United States. Since their first performance, Amistad has exposed audiences to more than 900 compostions from Latin America.  Look for our performances at a variety of venues in the Houston area and beyond. Amistad means friendship, and friendship is a major ingredient that drives this endeavour as it strives to establish and nurture lines of communication between Latin and North American.  

 

Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AmistadChamberPlayers

Notable Performances


  • Scirocco Winds, performance by invitation at the National Flute Association Convention, Charlotte North Carolina, August 2011.
  • World Premiere of "Nano Symphony" by Anthony Brandt, with River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Houston Texas. October 2010
  • Sonata by Brenno Blauth, performed at the 2003 International Double Reed Society Conference in Greensboro North Carolina.
  • The Brazilian Bassoon, works by Siqueira, Guerra-Peixe, Mahle, Blauth, and Mignone. ASU, January 25, 2001.
  • Twentieth Century Nationalistic Works for the Bassoon and Orchestra, works by Mignone, Panufnik, Luke, and Nussio. ASU, March 26, 2000.
  • New England Premier of Excursions for three bassoons by Kent Hurd with the American Bassoon Trio, February 5, 1999, Gorham, Maine.
  • Guest Artist and panelist, Bassoon Day, University of Southern Maine, 1999.
  • Guest Artist, Fountain Hills In-Home Concert Series. Works by Glinka, Dard, Bassett, and Beethoven, Fountain Hills, Arizona, January 1997.
  • Alumni Recital at the University of Southern Maine, Corthell Concert Hall.. Assisted by the Jordan Bay Wind Trio; works by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Beethoven, Cascarino, Danzi, and Francaix. Gorham, Maine April 21, 1990.
  • World Premier of Jan Bach's Lazy Blues for bassoon Quintet, Gorham, Maine- 1987.
  • Solo Performance by Audition, Gala Opening of the Corthell Concert Hall, works of Bloch, Duclos and Ibert. Gorham, Maine 1986.
  • Extensive chamber music experience including, The Andreas Trio, American Bassoon Trio, Jordan Bay Wind Trio, New England Wind Trio, Southern Maine Bassoon Trio, Bassoon Quartet of Maine and Southern Maine Woodwind Quintet.
  • New England Intercollegiate Band, Principal Bassoon, Yale University, 1987 and University of New Hampshire, 1988.