Eric Stomberg , President

Rodney Ackmann , 1st Vice President

Celeste Johnson , 2nd Vice President

Leigh Miller Munoz , Treasurer

Susan Gustavson Maxwell , Secretary

Emily Helvering, Editor

District Representatives:

William McMullen, Nebraska

Richard Ramey, Arkansas

Carl Rath, Oklahoma,

Carl Rath is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma, Principal Bassoonist in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, and bassoonist in the Oklahoma Woodwind Quintet. He has taught at Northwestern State University (LA), Lawrence University, Ripon (WI) College, and has presented master classes in Argentina, Hungary, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, as well as in the United States. His principal teachers have been Fred Schroeder, Stephen Basson, Robert Thompson, Stan Scheller, and Wil Roberts.

In 1979, he was appointed to the faculty of the Red Lodge (MT) Music Festival, where he continues to teach young students in bassoon and chamber music, as well as performing on faculty recitals.

For 17 years, he was Principal Bassoonist with the Classical Music Festival Orchestra in Eisenstadt, Austria, and was soloist in performances of the Mozart Concerto for Bassoon and Haydn Sinfonie Concertante.

Rath has been a soloist with orchestras and wind ensembles during his career and is a frequent performer at annual conferences of the International Double Reed Society. His playing can be heard on three Moosmann Bassoon discs (25th Anniversary, Artists Sampler Disc, Moosmann Live) and the Oklahoma Woodwind Quintet’s A Christmas Delight. A new disc, The Music of Daniel Baldwin, is due for release in 2010.

“I believe playing and teaching should be enjoyable, but with a purpose.” This simple statement is what has motivated Rath to arrange numerous classical and popular scores for woodwind quintet, and especially for the Sooner Bassooners, consisting of bassoon students at the University of Oklahoma. Sooner Bassooners concerts are known for their unorthodox repertoire, most of which has been arranged by Rath. It is not unusual to hear medleys of popular songs or TV/movie themes that last for 20 minutes or more, or to ‘Sing Along with the Sooner Bassooners,’ when attending their concerts. “The unexpected should be expected!” The arrangements, however, serve as a teaching tool for improving the students’ abilities, broaden the repertoire experience from the norm, and provide the audience with an enlightening and entertaining experience.

Rath’s interest in popular music—he is the drummer for a local rock band and a conductor for 1964…the Tribute—has led to the development of Honors College courses in rock history, as well as The Beatles. Guests to his classes include famous authors, collectors of memorabilia, musicians, and others closely associated with rock music.

Cynthia Green Libby, Missouri