Jacobsen Series: The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet

Name: Jacobsen Series: The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet
Start: 2025-09-19T19:30:00-07:00
Location: Schneebeck Concert Hall

Schedule

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025 at 07:30 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Schneebeck Concert Hall | Tacoma, WA

Join us for the Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet, a genre-blending, all-female ensemble known for their innovative performances with bassoons, kazoos, melodicas, and more. Formed at the Eastman School of Music, they gained global recognition after their 2011 viral YouTube hit "Lady Gaga Saga." They’ve since performed with prestigious groups like the Eastman Wind Ensemble, West Point Band, and have been featured artists at numerous IDRS conferences, Beijing International Bassoon Festival, and various U.S. music conferences and symposiums.
The quartet has toured internationally across China, Japan, Thailand, Spain, and beyond. With over 3 million YouTube views, coverage from NPR and MTV, two albums, and even a bassoon-themed card game, The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet continues to demonstrate that music and laughter are universal languages.
The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet is an artist-run creative project by bassoonists Brittany Harrington-Smith, Yuki Katayama Poole, Kara LaMoure, and Lauren Yu Ziemba. Their repertoire disregards genre, with favorites from the worlds of classical, pop, jazz, soundtrack, and folk music adapted for the ensemble by its members. Known for their stage antics, the BWBQ use choreography, accessory instruments, props, and skits to add theatrical elements to their performances.
The ensemble’s mission is threefold: to navigate the intersection of classical music, pop culture, and comedy, to expand the scope of bassoon performance, and to create meaningful bonds with audiences.

Jacobsen Series 2025-26 performances feature Puget Sound music faculty, renowned guest artists, and inspiring themed concerts. The series was established in 1984 in honor of Leonard Jacobsen, former chair and professor of Puget Sound’s piano department. Ticket sales support the Jacobsen Series Scholarship Fund, annual music scholarships awarded to outstanding student performers and scholars. Thank you to our many patrons whose support has benefitted students and contributed to this successful series.