The only bassoonist known by her first name, Nadina Mackie has redefined what it means to be a soloist. Dozens of works have been written for her. Her award-winning recordings and books have become touchstones for musicians around the world.

Raised in the northern forests of British Columbia, Nadina entered university at 16. Within two years, she won a full scholarship to Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. After successful auditions for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Nadina made her concerto debut with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra before skipping her own graduation ceremonies to start her career with the Montreal Symphony.

Her formative years with the Montreal Symphony coincided with an era of major international touring and recording, leading to performances across Europe, Asia, and the Americas in halls such as Carnegie Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. Appearances as a soloist during this time launched a career that has since spanned hundreds of performances and an extensive, award-winning discography, including Bacchanale, Romanza, Canadian Concerto Project, and Vivaldi Volume I with plans to continue recording the remaining 31 Vivaldi concerti and all of the new concerti written for her.

Nadina later became principal bassoonist of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, while also co-founding the Caliban Quartet of Bassoonists and expanding into historical performance with ensembles including Tafelmusik, Apollo’s Fire, Aradia, and the Handel & Haydn Society.

Today, she is recognized as the most widely recorded solo bassoonist in Canadian history. A frequent presence on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Nadina has been featured as both performer and host. Her recordings continue to reach international audiences. A committed collaborator with composers, she has inspired numerous new works, including the recent concerto CARNIVAL by Augusta Read Thomas. The recording, on the disc Terpsichore’s Box of Dreams, was named BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Month (June 2024) and was shortlisted for orchestral album of the year.

Equally respected as a teacher and thinker, Nadina performs, lectures, and leads masterclasses internationally, encouraging musicians to explore the vast possibilities of classical music performance. Her books—Solitary Refinement, Book of Birds, Colour Your Bassoon and Open Sky Bassoon—explore the intersection of discipline, creativity, and artistic identity. In 2027, Nadina will release her 13th solo album, Outside, featuring solo and duo works by living composers.

Nadina is the founder of the Council of Canadian Bassoonists, a federally registered educational charity dedicated to spotlighting the bassoon and informing both players and audiences. The first woman to hold a tenured bassoon position in a major Canadian orchestra, she continues to be recognized as a trailblazer and advocate for the next generation. Through her work as a performer, author, and educator, Nadina Mackie has expanded the possibilities of her instrument and continues to be a singular voice in classical music.

Bassoon and Contrabassoon for The Cleveland Orchestra since 1997; Faculty member at Cleveland Institute of Music, Baldwin-Wallace University Conservatory of Music, and the Kent/Blossom Music School

Previous position(s):

 Colorado (formerly Denver) Symphony (1986-1997), New Orleans Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, and Chicago City Ballet Orchestra

​Education: 

Bachelor’s Degree and The Performer’s Certificate from Eastman School of Music and Master’s Degree from Northwestern University

Notable performances: 

Performed with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra; participated in Aspen Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy and Eastern Music Festival

Teaching Opportunities:

 Previous faculty engagements have included The Oberlin Conservatory, The Aspen Music School, and The University of Northern Colorado. Mr. Sherwin has given Master classes at several music festivals and universities including The Eastman School of Music, Duquesne University, and The Aspen Music School.

Fábio Cury has served as principal bassoon with the São Paulo Symphony and with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. He currently divides his time between being a professor at the University of São Paulo (USP), and Associate Professor and Director of USP Symphony Orchestra.

In the past, he has also been a part of the Cantareira Faculty, the School of Music of the State of São Paulo (EMESP) and the State Conservatory of Tatuí. He has performed in the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo and in the Camerata Aberta, and has frequently been seen as a soloist performing with the most prestigious orchestras and chamber music groups in Brazil.

He earned a degree in bassoon performance from the UNCAMP in 1991, where he studied with Paul Justi. Shortly afterwards he received a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Program (DAAD) in order to study with Professor Klaus Thunemann at the Conservatory of Theater and Music in Hannover.  Fábio Cury received his Masters degree from the University of Campinas, Brazil, in 1999, and is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of São Paulo.

Fábio has been awarded prizes in many Brazilian competitions, including, in 1987, the Young Soloists' Competition of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and the Eldorado Prize for Music, in 1995. He was the winner of the Bassoon Competition  at the Hannover Music Conservatory in 1993, and was awarded an honorable mention at the International Double Reed Society's Fernand Gillet Competition in 2000. In 2010, his cd Velhas e novas cirandas: Brazilian music for bassoon and orchestra, was awarded as the best recording of the year by the São Paulo Art Critics Association, whereas the Camerata Aberta, chamber music group dedicated to the contemporary repertoire which he joins, was chosen the best ensemble as well.

As soloist, chamber musician and professor, he has performed and taught at all of the most important Brazilian music festivals.  Outside of Brazil, Fábio has dedicated himself to  promoting Brazilian repertory, giving lectures and courses and performing as a soloist in Argentina, Panama, Canada and England.

Fábio is a Püchner artist, playing the superior model. He has recorded various chamber music works on the Paulus, Meridian and Brasil Meta Cultural labels and, as a soloist, the cd Velhas e novas cirandas: Brazilian music for bassoon and orchestra on the label Clássicos. 

Paul has recorded and/or performed with Grammy winners Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Jon Batiste, Wayne Shorter and Taylor Eigsti. He has also recorded/ toured with Billy Cobham’s Crosswinds Ensemble, Peter Erskine, Billy Childs, Harmonica virtuoso Gregorie Maret, Billy Higgins, David Binney, Ray Charles, Charlie Hunter, Patrice Rushen, Alex Acuna, Dennis Chambers, Abraham Laboriel, Medeski Martin & Wood, Bob Weir’s RATDOG, T. Lavitz from Dixie Dregs, Jeff Coffin, Jeff Sipe, Jonas Hellborg, Afro/Cuban pianist Omar Sosa, Bob Moses, Kai Eckhardt, Peter Apfelbaum and the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, 60string bassist Ariane Cap in the group OoN, The Paul Dresher Ensemble, DAVKA, St. Joseph Ballet Company, The Klezmorim, as jazz soloist with the Oakland Eastbay Symphony Orchestra, as classical soloist with the Napa Symphony Orchestra (non-improvising) and many more.

As a sax player-Paul has recorded and/or performed with Eddie Money (tenor sax soloist on the 1985 hit song “Take Me Home Tonight”), Boz Scaggs, The Temptations, Tower of Power, Steve Smith, Tom Coster, Randy Jackson, What It Is, Omar Sosa, dobroist Rob Ickes, sessions for Lucas Arts Electronic Games, Sony Music and many more.

In 2008 Paul was invited to create his own role as electric improvising bassoonist in Cirque Du Soleil’s ZED-a resident show at Tokyo Disney Resort. This unique creation performed 380 shows a year from 2008-2011. To this day Cirque Du Soleil auditions bassoonists because of the ZED role Paul helped develop and create.

Paul has traveled throughout Europe, Japan, South America and the States. He has appeared as a bassoonist at Carnegie Hall, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Brno Jazz Festival in Czech Republic, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Berlin Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Leverkusen Festival, the INTERLINK festival in Japan, the California Edge Festival 2005 and at numerous NAMM shows in Los Angeles and Nashville as a Legere Bassoon reed artist. As a performer/educator- Paul has performed and taught masterclasses at IDRS festivals from Rotterdam to Texas. He has given masterclasses at Ithaca College, Penn State University, Arizona State University, Oklahoma University, University of Wisconsin, Memphis State University, University of Northeaster Oklahoma, University of Arkansas and Portland State University-all specializing in modern performance techniques and improvisation for bassoonists and other classical instrumentalists. Paul has also been bassoon professor at Ithaca College School of Music in 2004. Paul was a featured clinician/performer at the 2013 IDRS Conference in Redlands CA and 2014 IDRS Conference in New York City as well as the the 2016 IDRS Conference at Columbus, Georgia.
AWARDS AND EDUCATION
Paul was the 1996 Grand Prize winner of JAZZIZ Magazine’s WOODWINDS ON FIRE award-the first bassoonist ever to win. He also was the winner of the Robert Mondavi Woodwind concerto competition in 1984 in California. Paul was awarded an NEA Jazz Fellowship in 1995. Paul Hanson appears on Bela Fleck and the Flecktones album OUTBOUND which won a Grammy for best contemporary jazz recording of 2000.
Paul has a BM in Bassoon Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.