Gerik Fon-Revutzky

You don't decide to be an artist, you discover that you are one.

-- James Baldwin

If I don't practice for one day, I know it. If I don't practice for one week,

my friends know it. If I don't practice for one month, everyone knows it.

-- Arthur Rubinstein

You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice.

And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that

and just wail.

-- Charlie Parker

Welcome to my home on the web. I am an active teacher and performer on the bassoon and contrabassoon in the Chicagoland area. Additionally, I am also experienced as an orchestral conductor.

As a performer I am the contrabassoonist with Rockford Symphony, Wisconsin Philharmonic Orchestra, Fox Valley Symphony and Bel Canto Chorus Orchestra; I additionally perform with numerous other area orchestras as both a bassoonist and contrabassoonist.

As an instructor I am currently on the faculty at the University of St. Francis, Joliet Junior College, Music Institute of Chicago, Neuqua Valley High School, Metea Valley High School, Schaumburg High School, Fremd High School, Conant High School, Hoffman Estates High School, Maine South High School, and Lake Forest High School. I love to teach and am continuously looking for new material and ideas to use while teaching my students. I look to expand my teaching abilities regularly through discussions with fellow instructors (both bassoonists and other instrumentalists), occasional observation, and additional teaching-specific studies.

View Places I Teach in a larger map

I am a founding member of the Chicagoland Bassoon Teachers Symposium; an organization with the goal of sharing ideas, techniques, and generally helping to make all members better instructors for our students.

As a conductor I conducted the Spring 2008 Musical at the University of St. Francis, Rodger & Hammerstein's Cinderella. While was difficult to fit conducting into my schedule, it was a great pleasure to have this recent opportunity, and I enjoyed it immensely!

I am an active member of the AFM (American Federation of Musicians, the Musicians Union), Local 10-208, the IDRS (International Double Reed Society), as well as the NEA (National Education Association), Illinois Education Association member.

I hope that you will find this site useful. I particularly hope that my students will find all the information they need handy to them - recommended tools, music, schedules, etc.

For those interested about my instruments, I play on the following:

Fox 201 Bassoon - which I purchased new in 1998

(named Natasha)

outfitted with a Fox high-resonance bell

currently using a Moosmann Interpret Series Bocal, Gold Plated, British Bend

occasionally use a Heckel C1 British Bend bocal

Mollenhauer Contrabassoon - purchased in 2000; this is a pre-war (WW II) contra, formerly played in the Detroit Symphony

(named Boris 'the Beast')

switch between a Heckel bocal & a Fox bocal

Thank you,

Gerik Fon-Revutzky

WHY MUSIC???