Dennis Godburn has been a familiar face in the New York concert since 1973 when his musical career began with the Mitch Miller Orchestra. When first in New York, he performed and recorded with Ensemble for Early Music, the New York Renaissance Band, Caliope, and the Waverly Consort. In 1975 he started to perform with St. Luke?s Chamber Ensemble and was soon called to be the principal bassoonist, a position he has held since 1976.
His musical path has taken a rather unique journey through the world of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical period instruments as well as the modern bassoon he performs on this evening. When Mr. Godburn was first involved with early music he played the bagpipe, schawm recorder, dulcian, krumhoen, and rankette. As early music moved to latter repertoire, he started to play Baroque bassoon and still later the Classical bassoon all the while playing the modern bassoon. Some days he would rehearse music spanning seven centuries. Now he limits himself to three bassoons: Baroque, Classical, and Modern.
His musical talents have taken him to Australia, Europe, South America, and Japan. He has performed with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New England Bach Festival, Philharmonia Baroque, and the Classical Band, among many others. He has appeared as soloist on the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, the Mostly Mozart Festival, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The Ravinia Festival, Kennedy Center, and the Boston Early Music Festival.
Mr. Godburn can be heard in recordings spanning medieval to contemporary repertoire on RCA Records, Angel, Sony Classical, L?Oiseau Lyre, Telarc, Columbia Masterworks, Harmonia Mundi, EMI, and Deutsche Grammophon. He studied at the Hartt College of Music with Joseph Iadone, a student of Hindemith. Mr. Godburn has served on the faculties of SUNY-Stony Brook and Manhattan School of Music.