Principal Bassoon

Matthew Ransom is an active performer and educator throughout the Midwest. His orchestral career has included performances with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Russian National Orchestra, the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Canton Symphony, and the Kentucky Symphony. Matthew has served as the Principal Bassoonist of Orchestra Iowa since 2012.

Home:

Iowa City, IA

Year Joined Orchestra Iowa:

2012

Education & Teachers:

BM, University of Michigan, 2007
MM, University of Cincinnati, 2009

Richard Beene and William Winstead

Favorite Symphonic Piece:

Stravinsky’s Pulcinella

Favorite Memory With Orchestra Iowa:

Performing the Verdi Requiem

How did you start playing your instrument?

I started out playing the clarinet and added the bassoon because it seemed so unusual. Eventually I realized that I like playing the bassoon much more!

If you weren’t a professional musician, what career would you have?

Psychologist, Demographer, or Roboticist

Who would play you in a movie?

Daniel Radcliffe. People used to tell me all the time that I looked like Harry Potter.