TESTIMONIALS
Rebecca Rivera is a true artist when it comes to making bassoon reeds and teaching the making of bassoon reeds. I recommend her unconditionally when colleagues ask me for a source of bassoon reeds or for instruction in making them.
JUDITH FARMER enjoys a rich and varied career as a chamber musician, orchestra musician, soloist and teacher. She received her education at Indiana University and at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Vienna. From 1984-1996 she was principal bassoonist of the Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra, performed and toured regularly with the Camerata Academica Salzburg under Sandor Vegh and with numerous chamber music ensembles in Vienna. Ms. Farmer has appeared as a soloist in the U.S. and in Europe, including the Salzburg Festival, and has participated in chamber music festivals in Prussia Cove (UK), Martha’s Vineyard (MA), Salem (NY), La Jolla (CA), Oaxaca (Mexico), San Luis Obispo (CA), Beverly Hills (CA) and Garth Newel (VA).
In 1996 Ms. Farmer moved to Los Angeles and since then has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, including as guest principal in spring of 2009. She has played on the scores of over 150 major motion pictures and recorded with such artists as Daft Punk, Josh Groban, Billy Childs and Barbra Streisand. She is currently principal bassoonist of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, a member of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and the Long Beach Symphony.
Judith Farmer teaches bassoon at the University of Southern California. She is an avid chamber musician, who enjoys collaborating with composers on new works and has had a number of works written and dedicated to her. Her recordings as a soloist and chamber musician are available on Albany, Ex-House and Orfeo Records.
Rebecca Rivera’s Bassoon reeds are joy for the busy Bassoonist who doesn’t have time, or the desire, to make their own reeds from scratch. Her basic design is solid and the cane is of a high quality. One of the best things I like about her reeds is that there is enough room to adjust them to suit my needs….and when I get them to that place, they really hold on through several good weeks of performances. Plus Rebecca will work with me if there are things I’d like her to add or subtract from her basic design…like more wood off the back, little more length, etc. I can recommend Rebecca Rivera’s reeds without reservation.
DAVE RIDDLES, a native Californian, has been playing the Bassoon professionaly in one way or another for the past 35 years. Prior to coming to L.A. in 1976 he received a Masters Degree from Indiana University, Bloominton, Indiana and taught university level music in the mid-west for 4 years.
During the years he’s been in Los Angeles he was principal Bassoon with the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra for 5 seasons, played numerous times with the L.A. Philharmonic, was principal Bassoon for 18 seasons with the Pacific Symphony in Orange County, has played on over 450 motion picture scores, numerous television shows, and many record/CD albums.
Dave’s other interests include playing the Uilleann(Irish)Bagpipes, Irish Flute, drawing cartoons, illustrating and riding his classic Harley-Davidson Motorcycle.
Whether purchasing a finished reed, or a reed blank for you to put the finishing touches on, I cannot recommend Dr. Rivera’s reeds highly enough. Each reed is made with such consistency, skilled craftsmanship and such caring attention to detail. Her reeds are always made with high quality cane and constructed beautifully. As students of Judy Farmer’s at USC’s Thornton School of Music, we both learned the art of reed making in the same manner. In my professional life, I am no longer able to dedicate the same amount of time to making reeds as I once could and Dr. Rivera’s reeds have been the perfect answer to that problem. I would recommend, without hesitation, her reeds to both professionals and the advancing student.
SARA HINER is currently Assistant Dean at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts in downtown Los Angeles. She works with the Dean in course and program development and manages initiatives, special projects and performances. Ms. Hiner also teaches bassoon, is on faculty for Colburn’s outreach program Summer Encounter and serves as an advisor to students in Colburn’s Herbert Zipper Scholars program. In addition to her position at The Colburn School, she is score reader for the famous fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl. In August of 2014, Ms. Hiner was interviewed in “Meet the pair who ignite the Hollywood Bowl’s fireworks show” on KPCC’s Off-Ramp. She is also on the Advisory Committee of the USC’s Thornton School of Music Alumni Association. And she served on the Thornton Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2013 – 2014 academic year. In the spring of 2014, Ms. Hiner was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation at USC’s Honors Convocation for her service to the school. Also in 2014, she was interviewed and included in the Soundscape Stories project in collaboration with the national organization, Women in Music. Previously to coming to The Colburn School, Ms. Hiner was with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Manager of the Artists Department. Ms. Hiner’s primary instructors in bassoon were Judith Farmer and Rose Corrigan and she earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from the USC’s Thornton School of Music.