User:6bassoons/sandbox

Rock E Bassoon is an electric rock band that is comprised of six bassoonists and a drummer. Rock E Bassoon performs classic rock and pop, such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Metallica, Michael Jackson and The Who. Rock E Bassoon’s musicians include three members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a professor of bassoon at the Butler University School of Music and professional free-lance bassoonists. Rock E Bassoon is unique in that it is perhaps the only rock bassoon band in the United States that is electric and uses effects pedals to alter the ordinary sounds of the bassoon. Rock E Bassoon is committed to the profound role that the creative arts plays in the health and vitality of a community and in healing persons who are will. To that end, the Sydney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital lobby has become home to Rock E Bassoon’s rehearsals, allowing for interactive experiences among the band and patients, their families, hospital staff and physicians. Since 2016, Rock E Bassoon has worked to make live music accessible to the entire Indianapolis community.

Members

Mark Ortwein- Assistant principal and contra bassoonist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra,

Douglas Spaniol- Bassoon professor at Butler University‘s Jordan College of Fine Arts

Diana Ortega- Co founding member and freelance bassoonist

Kelly Swensson- Substitute Bassoonist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Mike Muszynski- Second Bassoon of the Indianapolis Symphony

Craig Hetrick- Assistant Principal Timpani/Percussion of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Matthew Gutwein- Founding Member, President and CEO of Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County

History

Rock E Bassoon was formed with the purpose of performing at Tonic Ball, an annual music festival that raises charitable funds for Second Helpings. On Friday, November 18th 2016, the electric rock bassoon band débuted as Rocky Bassoon after the 1968 Beatles song Rocky Raccoon, performing their original arrangements of classic rock songs on the Beatles tribute stage of the performance venue- Radio Radio. The rock band initially starting as an acoustic bassoon duet rapidly grew into a four piece electric bassoon ensemble; pulling in guest underground indie singer song writer Jacob Eaton and Dr. Andy T. Bridge on electric guitar and vocals, supporting backup vocalists Annie and Becky Hostetter, and Indy’s local New Orleans style brass band – Pork and Beans. Today, the electric bassoon band is known as Rock E Bassoon, and has grown into a 7 piece electric rock bassoon band with commissioned works from freelance artists Joshua Silbert, Danny Rivera, Dylan Hostetter and Ben Ringer.

Notable Appearances

Rock E Bassoon has been featured on WFYI (NPR), in the Indianapolis Star, and NBC's WTHR-TV 13. They have shared the stage with Indianapolis’s leading artists at Tonic Ball, a fundraising event drawing in performances by Indianapolis’s top artists across multiple stages to raise funds for Second Helpings food rescue and hunger relief in the city of Indianapolis. Rock E Bassoon has raised charitable funds for the ACLU of Indiana a nonprofit organization “dedicated to defending and protecting the individual rights and personal freedom for all”, The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis’s Spotlight, a fundraising performing arts event that raises funds for HIV/ Aids treatment, prevention and testing programs, and Eskenazi Health, the public hospital division of Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. Rock E Bassoon was featured at Newfields' Innagural Oktoberfect celebration.

Nominations

Rock E Bassoon has been nominated for the 49th Annual Lower Great Lakes Emmy Award for NPR’s WFYI piece titled Portraits of Our City by producer and videographer David Hodge, and had has previously been nominated for the Indianapolis ADDY award for Rock E Bassoon’s logo developed by Hirons & Company.