Peter Houdalis
bassoon
Hometown: Matawan, NJ
Alma maters: Rutgers University, B.M., 2021; DePaul University, M.M., 2023
Photo credit
Awards/Competitions
Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance, New York Youth Symphony, 2023
Appearances
Marrowstone Music Festival, 2019; Eastern Music Festival, 2022
What is your earliest memory of classical music?
My earliest meaningful memory of classical music is actually from my first year in marching band. One of the other bands performed an arrangement of The Rite of Spring which included an amplified bassoon to play the famous solo at the beginning. This was the first time I had heard or seen a bassoon and it inspired me to try it out for myself.
Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
My undergraduate teacher, Roger Nye, was very impactful in my musical development. As soon as I began studying with him, I experienced a massive improvement in my playing abilities. He equipped me with strong fundamentals and structured practice methods that helped me get better rapidly. He has also been so generous and goes above and beyond to help whenever I reach out even though I’m no longer his student.
Tell us about a time you almost gave up but didn’t.
In 2019, I developed an injury in my left arm that made it impossible to hold my instrument for extended periods of time without experiencing pain. This greatly impacted my ability to practice enough. My injury impacted many important events, such as my undergraduate recital, graduate school auditions, and my ability to meet the high standards of the schools I was attending at the time. This external factor holding me back from the thing I wanted to do the most made it very challenging to feel inspired to play at all, and I thought about giving up many times. Despite this, I kept going. Eventually my injury got a lot better and I have been able to practice so much more since then. I am feeling more excited about music than I have in a long time.
What is a surprising part of playing your instrument that you think most people don’t know?
Many bassoonists in professional orchestras use instruments that are very old. Some of the most sought-after bassoons were constructed in the 1930s and ’40s. My instrument recently turned 100 years old.