BASSOON
Welcome to the University of Tennessee Bassoon Studio!
The University of Tennessee College of Music offers a dynamic program with a wealth of performance opportunities, including in University of Tennessee large ensembles like the UT Wind Ensemble and the UT Symphony Orchestra! As a student in the Double Reed program at UT, you will be part of a group of dedicated musicians committed to developing their musical and educational voice and preparing for a life of music. UT Double Reeds prides ourselves on creative exploration, supportive community, camaraderie and most of all great music making.
UT Double Reeds is growing! We are proud to present a variety of events throughout the year including guest artist recitals and masterclasses, reed making workshops and Double Reed Day. Follow us on Instagram @utkbassoons or feel free to reach out to participate in any of our events and learn more.
Studio Values
Respect – respect for our work as artists and musicians, respect for one another, respect for our school, respect for our teachers, respect for those who came before us, respect for our facilities, respect for our colleagues.
Community – supporting one another as double reed players, musicians, artists, fellow students and citizens.
Gratitude + Appreciation – consistently fostering an attitude of gratitude for the opportunity to make music and learn along side one another.
Ambition + Hard Work – showing up every day for our craft, dreaming big, reaching for the stars, and keeping the focus on consistent effort.
Meet Our Faculty
Benjamin Atherholt
Lecturer of Bassoon | batherho@utk.edu
Benjamin Atherholt is Lecturer of Bassoon at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and contrabassoonist of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. From 2005-2023 Mr. Atherholt served as assistant principal bassoonist & contrabassoonist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. While in New Orleans, Mr. Atherholt was the bassoon instructor at Tulane University, Loyola University, and for the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra.
Mr. Atherholt has had the opportunity to work with symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and soloists across the country. Most notably, the Detroit Symphony, Nashville Symphony, National Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Harlem Quartet, pianist Orion Weiss, tenor Paul Groves, and the Houston Symphony, where he is featured on the 2013 Grammy Award winning recording of Berg’s Wozzeck.
Passionate about community outreach and advocacy, Mr. Atherholt served as Programming Director of the New Orleans based nonprofit arts organization Lyrica Baroque from 2015-2024. During this time he curated many programs amplifying works by underrepresented composers and founded Creativity Day – an outreach program exposing Louisiana youth to chamber music for the first time. He was also instrumental in the development of With Feeling and Music, a social emotional learning program for youth K-5 using chamber music as a core component to teach the curriculum.
Mr. Atherholt began his studies at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. He continued his studies in performance and composition at Oberlin Conservatory under the tutelage of George Sakakeeny and Jeffrey Mumford respectively and at Rice University with Benjamin Kamins.
