Tahnee van Herk on her fascination with the bassoon

Tahnee, you recently travelled to Franklin and Triabunna for the TSO’s On the Winds series. What were some of your favourite moments from those popular concerts?

I enjoy the intimacy of performing in smaller spaces, and when you travel to smaller towns, you often encounter unique and quirky spaces.

For the most part you feel a closer connection to your audience, and chatting with them afterwards solidifies that connection.

I met a young musician after the concert in Franklin who had taken up the bassoon as a result of hearing me play a Live Sessions concert. Those are the connections musician's dream of making with an audience.

You’ve been part of the TSO for 10 years now - what sparked your love of music and your love of the bassoon?

All through my schooling I associated music with socialising and meeting fascinating people. I enjoyed being a part of this beautiful carpet of sound and contributing to it.

Before finding the bassoon I played the clarinet and saxophone. My clarinet teacher could tell that I loved music, but the clarinet just didn’t speak to me. He encouraged me to try other instruments.

Luckily for me, there was a bassoon in the cupboard at school. The connection was immediate. I just had to keep practicing.

The bassoon is a versatile and highly rich and expressive instrument. Is it one of the least understood instruments in the woodwind section?

I find people’s expectations and experiences of the bassoon fascinating.

Many associate the instrument with silliness. I think that has a lot to do with the types of cartoons and movies they watched, and I get it, it is a rather odd-looking thing.

But for me, it’s an instrument that facilitates my ability to sing..

We’ve been welcoming a lot of first-time orchestra goers to our concerts this year, which is wonderful! What is your advice to those who may be unsure if a full symphony experience is for them?

For those novice concert goers wondering about the best way to dip your toe into the world of ‘classical’ music, my advice is to just dive in!

I feel the audience is in fine hands with the TSO. I work with a group of people who just want to communicate with the audience and take them on an adventure.

We are not ‘precious’ about what we do, we just want you to have a memorable experience. Concerts can be wild emotional rides. If you don’t like one, always try again. No two are ever the same!

How do you unwind when you are not performing or preparing for a concert?

When I’m not practicing or making reeds, I spend a lot of time sitting at my pottery wheel.

I so enjoy the tactile nature of pottery and having something tangible to hold at the end of all those hours. It’s quite different to making music.

I love the messiness, the chemistry, the focus, and the process of learning a new skill. I’ve met some fabulous new people and feel a part of a community I didn’t know existed.

I also have a rather demanding cat, Molly, who insists on giving me large amounts of purr therapy. Together we worship the sun.