Bassoon Chat

Written for Laura Najarian and Kathy Oliver in the Summer of 1999, during the Des Moines Metro Opera Festival. That summer, the Stephensons were sharing a house with Laura Najarian and John Warren, and family, as we were all performing with the DMMO. Laura invited Kathy Oliver over to play bassoon duets, and I couldn’t help noticing that they were doing more talking than playing. I decided to write a duet for them on the spot, hence the name, Bassoon Chat. The piece is conversational, light-hearted, and fun, just like Laura and Kathy!

Jim Stephenson July 1999