Biography

Bassoonist Judith Farmer enjoys a rich and varied career as an orchestra musician, chamber 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 Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) Vienna, 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, Salem (NY), La Jolla and Beverly Hills. For the 1995-96 season she held the position of visiting professor at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Graz, Austria.

In 1996 Ms. Farmer moved to Los Angeles and since then has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Opera Company, the Long Beach Symphony as well as for major motion pictures. 

She is currently principal bassoonist of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, a member of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and 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 for and dedicated to her. Her recordings as a soloist and chamber musician are available on Albany, Ex-House and Orfeo Records.

Professional Experience

Current Professional Affiliation(s):
Principal bassoon, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra
Member, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra
Career Highlights:

• Principal bassoon, Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) Vienna, Austria 1984-1996

• Principal bassoon, Camerata Academica Salzburg, Austria 1988-2001

• Performance of Haydn Sinfonia Concertante at the Salzburg Festival, 1996

• Visiting professor, Hochschule fuer Musik in Graz, Austria 1995-1996

• Principal bassoon, State Theater Orchestra Braunschweig, Germany 1979-1984

Honors, Awards & Competitions:

• Semi-finalist, Geneva Competition 1980

Music Festivals:

• La Jolla Chamber Music Society
  
• Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society
• International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, UK
  
• Beverly Hills International Music Festival
• Chautauqua Institution
  

Recordings:

• CD "Common Ground" of chamber music by Gernot Wolfgang (Albany Records, 2006)
  
• Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante Hob. I/105, Camerata Academica Salzburg (Orfeo, released in 2000)
• Symphonies of Schubert and Mozart, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra (2000)
• Herbsttag and Hexen by Miguel Del Aguila, American Music Ensemble Vienna (Albany Records,  1991)

Academic Degrees

• Hochschule fuer Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Vienna, Austria 1979
• Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, IN, 1978

Other Academic Experience:

• Instructor at the Henry Mancini Institute, 2006

• Instructor at the Chautauqua Institution, 2003

• Visiting Professor, Hochschule fuer Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Graz, Austria 1995-1996

• Instructor Prague Mozart Academy, 1993

• Instructor seminar for chamber music Kumberg, Austria, July 1992 and 1993

Studied with

• Leonard Sharrow, former principal bassonist Chicago Symphony

• Karl Oehlberger, former principal bassoonist Vienna Philharmonic

• Mordechai Rechtman, former principal bassoonist Israel Philharmonic