Joanna Bassett
Instruments: Flute and Piccolo
With the RPO since: 1984
Favorite time of year in Rochester: Spring!
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Drink or food you're most likely to order at Java's: 1/2 regular, 1/2 decaf coffee, with a little bit of ice so I don't burn my lips!
First music-related memory: singing Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian) over and over, at the top of my lungs.
Favorite travel destination: Vermont and Hawaii, both places where I spent a lot of time as a child
Influential teachers: my high school flute teacher, Glennis Metz Stout, who started me on my way, college teachers Walfrid Kujala and Bonita Boyd (all 3 Eastman graduates), Donald Peck, principal flutist of the Chicago Symphony and many of the musicians with whom I have played in orchestras and ensembles.
Favorite ice cream flavor: Tom Wahl's peppermint chip, or mint chocolate chip
What are your other "hidden" talents? gardening, origami, spending time with my family
Do you teach private students? Yes, I enjoy teaching very much, usually from 7th or 8th grade until they graduate from high school. I am continually amazed and pleased to watch my students develop as musicians and as people, with music as a part of themselves they will always be able to count on and enjoy. I've also appreciated teaching college students, for their ability to learn so quickly, and adults for their motivation and passion for learning!
What other orchestras have you performed with? The Hong Kong Philharmonic, which was my first job after graduating from college. I returned to the U.S. after two years to attend Eastman for graduate school, and a job in the RPO opened up at the same time, so I have been here ever since.
Oddest RPO concert (or rehearsal) memory... While I was pregnant, I was happy that our son was getting a first-rate introduction to the world of orchestral music, but once we had percussionist Evelyn Glennie as a soloist, and it was very loud! I remember wearing about 4 layers of clothing that weekend, hoping that I could soften some of the volume on his sensitive ears.
Favorite restaurant in town and why: Aladdin's, on the canal in Pittsford. It's still the best bargain in town, very consistent, and healthy (so you have room for carrot cake).
What types of music do you like to listen to? I usually listen to flute or orchestral music, but enjoy being enlightened by whatever is on my son's iPod.
Do you have a pet? Two dachshunds: Eddie and Antler (a name chosen by our son, who wanted to find a name no dog had ever had before).
The RPO is essential to Rochester because... it contributes to the vast array of cultural offerings in town. When we go to GEVA, I feel like I'm on a mini-vacation, and I hope that people feel that way when they go to the RPO.
My favorite part of working in the RPO is... the first rehearsal. I love seeing how all the parts fit together, even if it's a piece we've played many times (but especially if it's a brand new piece).
If someone were visiting Rochester, what would you tell them to go see or do? The Erie Canal path, Tom Wahl's Ice Cream, Wegmans, Highland Park, East Avenue and Park Avenue, Craft Company No. 6, the Eastman Theatre, Kilbourn Hall and Hochstein Performance Hall, Frontier Field and the High Falls.
Biography
Joanna Bassett is a flutist and teacher, and a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A graduate of Northwestern University and the Eastman School of Music, she has been on the faculties of Houghton College and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
In addition to the RPO, Joanna has participated in Fortissimo!, Chamber Music Rochester, and the Skaneateles Festival, and was a founding Board member of the Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival. The founding president of the Rochester Flute Association, she presented the 2005 Flute Fair recital which featured a commissioned work by Rochesterian Cary Ratcliff, “Gitanjali Dances,” and eagerly awaits the arrival of Ken Kruezer’s Sonata for flute and piano, which she received as a very special birthday gift.
Joanna is also Program Coordinator of Hochstein at Canandaigua, bringing the experience of Rochester’s Hochstein School of Music & Dance to children and adults in the Finger Lakes area. She has been a member of the RPO Volunteer Enrichment Committee, the Board of Directors of the National Flute Association, chaired the 2009 NFA Strategic Plan, served as Coordinator of the NFA Orchestral Audition and Masterclass Competition, and has performed at several national flute conventions. She is currently a member of the RPO Education Committee.
