The Waterhouse Bassoon Day 2026 - another huge success!

April 22nd, 2026

This weekend The Waterhouse Bassoon Day 2026 was attended by around 50 bassoon players and enthusiasts, who made the trek from all over the UK, as well as many from overseas. It was another huge success!

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Waterhouse family, and to all the speakers and performers who travelled and prepared such engaging and inspiring contributions.

We are equally grateful to everyone who attended—it was a pleasure to welcome so many bassoon enthusiasts together in one place.

Oliver Ludlow - Introduction 

Oliver Ludlow, the organiser, opened the day with a short talk exploring the anticipated impact of artificial intelligence on the future of bassoon playing.

He expressed a strongly positive outlook for the bassoon, highlighting the growing importance of the cognitive benefits associated with learning music in an increasingly digital world.

He also noted the socially isolating nature of desk-based work, emphasising how playing the bassoon encourages people to get out, meet others, and build meaningful social connections.

Finally, he suggested that as people become fatigued by virtual environments, there will be a renewed demand for live, authentic experiences—making events such as live orchestral performances more valuable than ever.

Celia Waterhouse - Overview of William Waterhouse

The next session was by Celia Waterhouse, William Waterhouse’s daughter, who gave a short overview of his life, his historic collection of bassoons, and his extensive library. She gave a particularly personal perspective on her father’s lifelong passion for music and collecting - a man whose legacy brings guests from all over the world to this event every year.

James Kopp Talk

Next, James Kopp, PhD, co-curator of the Waterhouse collection, gave a more detailed account of some of William Waterhouse’s works of writing, as well as some of the historic instruments in the collection. He showed examples of some of the oldest and rarest bassoons in the world, and demonstrated by playing an unusual world system Heckel 5xxx bassoon from the 1920s.

Kristian Oma Rønnes Talk

Kristian Oma Rønnes—Norwegian bassoonist, composer, and author—took centre stage next, showcasing his research into the extreme limits of the instrument’s range.

He showed his adapted bassoon, fitted with keys unfamiliar to most in attendance, and demonstrated notes beyond the capabilities of a standard bassoon—reaching G8, a fifth higher than the piano’s highest note, and down to contra Db!

Kristian’s talk offered an intriguing perspective on the untapped potential of the bassoon’s upper and lower limits.

Time to Look at Instruments

There were three long breaks during the day, allowing time for refreshments, and taking a closer look at the historical instruments in the collection. Jim Kopp, Mathew Dart and our own Tristan Lambert were on hand to talk about the history of the instruments in more detail, and to demonstrate them live!

Ursula Leveaux Talk

Professional bassoonist Ursula Leveaux followed Kristian’s talk with a personal, music-filled reflection on her musical life.

She traced her journey from discovering the bassoon as a child through to her professional career, weaving her story together with live performances that illustrated each stage.

Using a loop pedal, she built up layers of sound in real time, accompanying her own recorded lines with live—sometimes improvised—playing.

This added a striking and inventive dimension to her presentation, and her playing brought an emotional depth to the narrative that moved more than a few audience members to tears!

Kristian and Karolina Oma Rønnes - Duet

After lunch, Kristian Oma Rønnes returned to the stage with his wife, Karolina—both accomplished bassoonists—for a duet performance, accompanied by Stephen Fuller (representing the British Double Reed Society) on contrabassoon and Isaac Sapsed on piano.

They performed Allegro ma non tanto from Sonata No. 2 in G minor from 6 Sonates en Trio Paris by Juan Bautista Pla and Manuel Pla.

The performance was met with such enthusiastic applause that they returned with an encore: Kristian’s own arrangement of William Boyce’s Symphony No. 3, second movement (Vivace) for two bassoons.

This proved to be one of the highlights of the day.

Will Peebles Talk

Will Peebles, PhD, Professor of Bassoon at Western Carolina University, delivered the final talk of the day.

He explored the Boehm-system bassoons within the Waterhouse Collection, placing them in the wider historical context of 19th- and 20th-century attempts to redesign the instrument.

Central to his presentation was the remarkable work of James Dean Mackey (1889–1968), an inventive musician from Ohio, whose experimental “Boehm” bassoon sought to rethink both the acoustics and fingering of the instrument.

Will shared insights from his own research into Mackey’s life, uncovering a fascinating trail of musical and technical pursuits, which eventually took him to Ohio to explore Mackey’s early surroundings and to connect with his family.

Group Play-Through

The day drew to a close with a group play-through conducted by Robert Codd.

A large number of attendees brought their bassoons and contrabassoons to take part, and under Robert’s direction the venue was filled with musical energy once more.

Knowing that the building was designed and built by William Waterhouse with exactly this purpose in mind—to bring musicians together to play—made the play through feel like a meaningful conclusion to the event, as the room was once again used just as he had intended.

The Best Dressed Guest

Among the many distinguished guests, one of the most memorable—and arguably the best dressed—was Shadow.

Sporting a colourful knitted coat, he made a brief appearance, accepted some well-earned chicken, and departed on his own terms. A true VIP, his presence did not go unnoticed.

The Waterhouse Bassoon Day 2026 continues to be one of the most anticipated events in the bassoon calendar. If you would like to attend next year, be sure to keep an eye on our emails for details and invitations.