About — Ivy Ringel

BIO

Ivy Ringel is the Principal Bassoon of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Prior to her time in Indianapolis, she held the same role in the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra. She has served as guest Principal Bassoon with the Atlanta Symphony, and has joined the orchestras of Houston, Buffalo, Rochester, Louisiana, Jacksonville, Chattanooga, and Syracuse. Ms. Ringel has held previous academic appointments at Indiana University, Butler University and Morehouse College, and has taught masterclasses at Indiana University, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Columbus State University and the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium. Ivy is a prize winner of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition.

Ivy is a passionate advocate for chamber music and commissioning new works. She has spent summers with the Grand Teton Music Festival, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, Nantucket Rossini Club, National Repertory Orchestra, Round Top Music Festival and Chautauqua Music Festival. Ivy has also collaborated with the Ronen Chamber Ensemble, Slee Sinfonetta and Ensemble Signal. Ms. Ringel has commissioned works by Derek David, Nick Davies, Sarah Gibson and Theo Chandler.

Originally from Hillsborough, North Carolina, Ivy Ivy grew up in a musical family, starting the violin before switching to the bassoon. With her family, she is a founding member of threeplustwo, an unlikely cross-genre band that blends classical, jazz and folk to create a lively and intimate sound. Her primary teachers include Benjamin Kamins, Michael Burns, Charlie Bailey and John Hunt. Ms. Ringel holds degrees from Rice University and the Eastman School of Music. When she is not playing the bassoon or making reeds, Ivy enjoys cooking, traveling, live music, and hiking.

Ivy’s Teaching

About Ivy

Ivy is an experienced private teacher who has worked with bassoonists of all levels. She has served as the adjunct bassoon professor at both Butler University and Morehouse College, and has taught at numerous middle and high schools in both individual and group settings. Ivy offers 30 and 60 minute lessons, but recommends younger students start with a 30 minute lesson.

About Lessons

Lessons will cover:

Fundamentals (embouchure, breathing and support, and tone production) are practiced through long tones, scales and interval exercises. We will use fundamentals as a tool for learning music reading skills and music theory, as well as proper bassoon technique. This will be adjusted according to ability and experience of the student.

Etudes may be the etudes needed for All-District, All-Region or All-State bands and orchestras, or other etudes to help the student accomplish their musical goals on the bassoon. These will be assigned according to the needs of the student, and for beginners, will consist of short melodic exercises such as those from Weissenborn’s Bassoon Method Book, and Cheryl Huddleston’s Foundations for Success. Etudes for more advanced students will include the Weissenborn Advanced Studies, Milde Scale and Chord Studies, and Orefici Melodic Etudes.

Repertoire will be worked on as needed for solo and ensemble competitions, as well as for the student’s general enjoyment and musical enrichment. Solo repertoire as a component of lessons is flexible depending on the goals of the student. We will cover music assigned in band or orchestra classes, if this is wanted by the student or their band director.

Reeds Reed making and reed adjustment will be taught according to the need and level of the student. Reed making is an important component of bassoon instruction for more advanced students. Ivy uses a Herzberg shaper and a Popkin profiler to make her reeds.

Schedule A Lesson