Frank Morelli
Frank Morelli, graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and the first bassoonist to receive a doctorate at Juilliard, has been soloist at Carnegie Hall on nine occasions, and performed at the White House for the final state dinner of the Clinton Presidency. Co-principal bassoonist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and principal of American Composers Orchestra and the Westchester Philharmonic, he was principal bassoon of the NYC Opera for 27 years. He teaches at Juilliard, Yale, the Manhattan School of Music and SUNY Stony Brook. His more than 175 recordings include MSR Classics solo CDs From the Heart, Romance and Caprice, Bassoon Brasileiro and Baroque Fireworks. The magazine, Gramophone proclaimed: “Morelli’s playing is a joy to behold.” The American Record Guide stated: “the bassoon playing … is as good as it gets.” Of his DG recording of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with Orpheus Fanfare Magazine added that it "reset a reviewer's standards at too high a level for comfort in a world more productive of ordinary music making." The Orpheus CD "Shadow Dances," which features Frank Morelli, won a 2001 Grammy Award. He is also heard in an accompanying role on two Wayne Shorter CDs that won Grammys: Allegria (2004) and Emanon (2019).
A prolific chamber musician, he has appeared at the most prestigious national and international festivals and in addition to Windscape Quintet, ensemble in residence at MSM, he is a member of Festival Chamber Music. He compiled the popular excerpt book, Stravinsky: Difficult Passages for Bassoon for Boosey and Hawkesand has numerous transcriptions in print. His landmark revision of the widely-used Weissenborn Bassoon Method, commissioned by Carl Fischer Music, has been met with great excitement. He plays a Leitzinger bassoon exclusively. Please visit www.morellibassoon.com.