Meet our Past Double Reed Fest Clinicians
William Buchman joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1992 after two seasons with the Dallas Symphony. He was appointed assistant principal bassoon in 1996 and has served as acting principal on multiple occasions, including all overseas tours between 2007 and 2014. In 2008 he performed and toured as guest principal bassoon with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Bill has played chamber music with pianists Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Yefim Bronfman and Emanuel Ax; performed and toured with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Chicago Pro Musica, and the Chicago Symphony Winds; and plays regularly with Music of the Baroque. He first appeared as soloist with the CSO in 2002. He also has appeared at the Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival in Maryland, the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming and the Saint Bart’s Music Festival in the Caribbean. He was awarded first prize in the 1990 Gillet Competition of the International Double Reed Society and has performed at several IDRS conferences since then.
Bill earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics magna cum laude from Brown University in 1987. He continued his physics studies the following year at the Universität Fridericiana Karlsruhe in Germany. On returning to the United States, Bill studied bassoon performance at the Yale University School of Music with Arthur Weisberg and at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music with Norman Herzberg.
A member of the DePaul University School of Music faculty since 1998, Bill also coaches the bassoon section of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and has presented master classes throughout the United States and in Brazil, China, Canada and Germany. He lives with his husband Lee Lichamer in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.
Dr. David Cyzak (*see-zak) is the Oboe Professor at the University of Iowa. Recent performances in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Peru, and Slovakia featured his playing and compositions in a program called "Classical–Poetry–Pop," highlighting the intersection between classical music, poetry/spoken word, and popular music. This program builds on his Doctoral Thesis work analyzing Vinko Globokar's Atemstudie (breath study) and Discours III, which explores how instrumentalists can "speak as you play and play as you speak." Always investigating and sharing the tradition of classical music, his activities have focused on working with living composers to perform and premiere their works while seeking to illuminate classical music's broad spectrum of expressive possibilities for any audience.
Critically acclaimed American oboist Dr. Lisa Kozenko has performed worldwide as a concerto soloist, chamber artist, and orchestral musician. She has 18 solo oboe and chamber music commissions to her credit. Her solo recording of Doubles by Judith Zaimont was named to Chamber Music America’s Century List of recordings.
Ms. Kozenko was the principal oboist of the New York City Opera National Company and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She has served on the Bowdoin International Music Festival faculty and as an adjudicator for the 2017 Carnegie Hall New York China Orchestra and the 70th & 72nd Hong Kong Music Festival.
As a member of the Manhattan Wind Quintet, she was a finalist in the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Chamber Music Competition and prizewinner of the Coleman, Fischoff, Monterey, Yellow Springs, and Chamber Music Chicago competitions. She was a solo prize winner of the 15th Lousie D. McMahon International Music Competition and presented her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of Artist International.
Dr. Kozenko is Professor of Performance Practice (Oboe) at Ball State University and former Assistant Professor of Oboe and Chamber Music at Mannes School of Music at the New School College of the Performing Arts. Dr. Kozenko is a Loreé performing artist.
Joey Lavarias, Assistant Teaching Professor of Bassoon at Ball State University, is an active bassoonist and educator. He was previously on the faculties at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and North Carolina State University. An in-demand bassoonist for a variety of musical genres, Joey has played with orchestras such as the Charlotte Symphony, North Carolina Opera, and Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, is a founding member of the Cardinal Sound Collective, a Greensboro-based wind quartet, and made several studio recordings for several prog rock bands around the United States. Joey is a Candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at
UNC-Greensboro under Dr. Michael Burns, and received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from The Juilliard School, studying with Dr. Frank Morelli. Outside of music, Joey is an avid trivia player, culminating in an appearance on the show Jeopardy!, and previously had a prolific career as a professional sports mascot, performing for several minor league baseball teams in North Carolina.
Marissa LeFevre is the esteemed owner of the Chicago Oboe Academy, a renowned oboe institution dedicated to nurturing the next generation of oboists. A graduate of Michigan State University, Marissa has built an impressive career as a performer and educator, driven by her deep passion for music and gifted education.
Marissa’s performance career is marked by her collaborations with various professional groups across the Chicagoland area, Michigan, France, and Germany. Her international experience has enriched her musical perspective, allowing her to bring a unique and diverse understanding to her teaching.
At the heart of Marissa’s career is her dedication to the future of the oboe. She has guided numerous oboists to top conservatories and universities throughout the United States and France helping them achieve their musical aspirations. Her commitment to her students is evident in the success of her virtual oboe studio, which spans the United States and Europe. This global reach has allowed her to impact the lives of students far and wide, providing high-quality oboe instruction regardless of geographical boundaries. Marissa’s dedication, expertise, and passion for oboe have made her a respected figure in the musical community, and her influence continues to shape the future of the oboe.
Originally from Naperville, Illinois, oboist Nora Anderson Lewis is Associate Professor of Music and Associate Dean of the Faculty at Lawrence University and Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin. She enjoys a varied performance career and has played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW series, with Alarm Will Sound, Boston Lyric Opera, and International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). She was a founding member of Chicago-based Ensemble Dal Niente and held orchestral positions with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and the Plymouth Philharmonic. She has performed in recital at St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, London, on the Cranbrook Music Guild artist series, Hale Library concert series, and in live recital broadcasts on Blue Lake Public Radio, WMUK Kalamazoo’s “In Concert,” and “Live from Studio B” at WFMT in Chicago.
Nora has presented workshops, performances, and papers at national and international conferences including the Midwest Clinic, International Double Reed Society, College Music Society, ClarinetFest, and National Flute Association in locations such as Finland, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States. With clarinetist Philip O. Pagialonga and bassoonist Eric Van der Veer Varner, Nora was a founding member of the PEN Trio, a chamber ensemble passionate about performance, education, and scholarship. For ten years the ensemble commissioned, premiered, published, and promoted numerous new works and gave concerts and master classes throughout the world. Their album Found Objects: New Music for Reed Trio was released on Summit Records and features music expressly written for the ensemble. Nora is currently under contract with Oxford University Press to write the book, Notes for Oboists: A Guide to the Repertoire, part of the Notes for Performers series.
Nora is a graduate of Lawrence’s acclaimed double-degree program in oboe performance and philosophy and received her Master of Music degree from the Yale University School of Music and Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. She lives in Appleton, Wisconsin with her husband Keith and enjoys spending time with their two standard poodles Cleo and Ziggy and Siberian Forest cat, Alexey. Nora loves to spend time outdoors and recently walked more than 500 miles along the Camino de Santiago from Lisbon, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Andrew Marlin has been actively freelancing throughout Chicago and can be heard playing on a variety of musical platforms throughout the city. He primarily performs with Opera Festival Chicago, Chicago Opera Productions, Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, and as a Core Artist with CHAI Collaborative Ensemble. Additionally, Andrew has been most thankful to have performed with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
As a passionate music educator, Andrew has built up many school music programs throughout the northwest suburbs and in turn has created a full time teaching studio. His students regularly make up a large portion of the Honors Ensembles at both Illinois Music Education Association's Honors Ensembles and Illinois Music Education All-State Conference. His students have been selected to participate in fellowships with Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative and National Public Radio's From The Top Media and Lab. Most notably so, Andrew's students have continued on to some of the finest university music programs across the country earning some of the most competitive scholarships available. Some programs his students have gone on to include: Northwestern University, The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and more. Andrew joined Elmhurst University’s music faculty and is excited to see what he can accomplish teaching higher education.
Andrew is the founder and music director for his own Summer Bassoon Workshop where he introduces young bassoonists to the world of music. All the music in the workshop are his own arrangements of some of the best music written across all of time - orchestral classics, opera scenes, ballet music, film scores, and more. Most recently, Andrew was selected to give a performance and presentation at the International Double Reeds Society 2025 Conference on his workshop and the positive effects it can have on Music Education and Classical Music.
An active performer and award-winning soloist, Brigit Fitzgerald Pacher is an artist determined to positively impact students, audiences, and collaborators with her art. She is delighted to carry out this mission as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Lawrence University and Conservatory. Brigit advocates for new music as a member of two contemporary chamber groups: Density512 and the SoundMap Ensemble. She has won the opportunity to be featured as a soloist with the Phoenix Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, and Vanderbilt University Orchestra. As well as being a semifinalist in the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition (2023), she has recently placed first in the National Bassoon Meetup Artistry Competition (2021), the Young Texas Artist Music Competition (2022), and the First International Bassoon Tango Competition (2022).
Using her degree in mathematics and minor in scientific computing, Brigit’s research includes work with two engineers and a chemist to develop a partially synthetic reed that is both affordable and long-lasting. This interdisciplinary team co-founded Fermata Reeds Inc., a company focused on increasing accessibility to music by minimizing economic barriers to learning reed instruments.
Brigit is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (BM) and the University of Texas at Austin (DMA and MM), where she worked as the bassoon teaching assistant for four years. She enriches her musical life with two-stepping, painting, and curling. She is from Phoenix, Arizona, and she hopes to one day own a herd of alpaca.
Longtime Chicago area freelance bassoonist Dianne Ryan is currently principal bassoon of New Philharmonic, Elmhurst Symphony, Whiting Park Festival Orchestra, and Bach Cantata Vespers.
Dianne Ryan is principal bassoonist with New Philharmonic, Elmhurst Symphony, Bach Cantata Vespers, and Whiting Festival Orchestra in Indiana. She has performed with many midwestern orchestras such as the Symphonies of Peoria, Southwest Michigan, South Bend, Northwest Indiana, Rockford, Illinois Symphony, and many more. In addition, Ryan has performed on pop gigs such as The Beach Boys, Moody Blues, Ray Charles, Celtic Woman, Final Fantasy, and Mel Torme. She has toured Europe and Asia with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and Chicago Symphonic Pops and has been a featured soloist with New Philharmonic and Elmhurst Symphony. She also enjoys playing in chamber ensembles, including the Chicago Bassoon Quartet.
An avid bassoon instructor, Ms. Ryan is on the faculties of VanderCook College of Music, Harper College, and Concordia University Chicago, and formerly the Merit School of Music and Elmhurst University. She frequently adjudicates concerto competitions, solo contests, and ILMEA auditions and has given many clinics and master classes for hosts that include Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Chicago Youth Orchestra, Butler Bassoon Day, Roanoke (VA) Youth Orchestra, and Bands of America.
Ms. Ryan earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in bassoon performance from Virginia Tech and Roosevelt University, followed by orchestral training with the Chicago Civic Orchestra.
Suzanne Segredo’s musical career can be surmised in one word: diverse. From working with celebrated and renown oboists, to being an active member of the Oboe Chicago Company, Suzanne’s musicianship has crafted an exciting and unique career across the Midwest and Southeast.
Originally from Darien, Illinois, Suzanne has worked extensively in Chicago and the surrounding Midwest, performing with the Austin Symphony, Quad City Symphony, Central Texas Philharmonic, Universal Studios, Heartland Festival Orchestra, Millikin Decatur Symphony, Urbana Pops Orchestra, Danville Symphony Orchestra, and the Sinfonia da Camera on both oboe and English horn. While in the Midwest, Suzanne received her B.M. in Oboe Performance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she studied with John Dee, and her M.M. in Oboe Performance and Literature from Northwestern University, where she studied with Michael Henoch, Robert Morgan, and Scott Hostetler.
Following her studies in Illinois, Suzanne received a Post-Graduate Certification in Performance Teaching from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. While in London, Suzanne studied with Gordon Hunt and Allison Teale. As a freelancer overseas, Suzanne performed as the principal oboist with the Lewisham Concert Band, received a spot on the substitute players list for the London production of The Phantom of the Opera, and performed in historic sites such as Cadogan Hall.
Driven by a passion for education, Suzanne maintains a private studio throughout the Austin and Chicagoland areas. Her studio consists of beginner to advanced students of all ages. Her goal for her students is to find their voice as performers, musicians, and artists.
An advocate for new and diverse music, Suzanne has worked with and performed the music of Stephen Taylor, Paul Novak, Jose Flores, Brandon Stanley, Vinko Globokar, and Augusta Read Thomas. While in the Midwest, Suzanne’s passion for Rock music led to her arranging and performing the music of Alice Cooper, Hole, Tina Turner, Suzi Quatro, and Creedence Clear Water Revival.
Suzanne continues to push for community engagement with the Oboe through Oboe Chicago and performance events. She travels throughout the country to promote and educate the oboe and promote accessibility to all at conferences and university led double reed days.
Dr. Suzanne Segredo-Kundler is the current Oboe professor at Illinois Wesleyan University.
DMA with Cognate in Music Education- University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign- 2023
PGCert Performance Teaching- Guildhall School of Music & Drama- 2018
MM-Northwestern University- 2017
BM- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign- 2015