the members
Daniel Hursey
Daniel Hursey has degrees from Florida State University and the University of Arizona, including a Doctor of Musical Arts in Bassoon Performance. He has studied with Jeff Keesecker, William Dietz, Margaret Dudley, and Shelly Simmons. Before moving to Tucson, Daniel performed with the Sinfonia Gulf Coast, Northwest Florida Orchestra, the Orlando Philharmonic, the Valdosta Symphony, the Tallahassee Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. Hursey has performed in festivals abroad in Austria and Spain as well as the Lake Tahoe Music Festival and currently performs as principal bassoonist for the Sierra Vista Symphony, contrabassoonist with West Texas Symphony, and with Tucson Symphony and True Concord Voices and Orchestra. Dr. Daniel Hursey is also an instructor of music at Dona Ana Community College and New Mexico State University.
Daniel Hursey has degrees from Florida State University and the University of Arizona, including a Doctor of Musical Arts in Bassoon Performance. He has studied with Jeff Keesecker, William Dietz, Margaret Dudley, and Shelly Simmons. Before moving to Tucson, Daniel performed with the Sinfonia Gulf Coast, Northwest Florida Orchestra, the Orlando Philharmonic, the Valdosta Symphony, the Tallahassee Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. Hursey has performed in festivals abroad in Austria and Spain as well as the Lake Tahoe Music Festival and currently performs as principal bassoonist for the Sierra Vista Symphony, contrabassoonist with West Texas Symphony, and with Tucson Symphony and True Concord Voices and Orchestra. Dr. Daniel Hursey is also an instructor of music at Dona Ana Community College and New Mexico State University.
Brenda Willer Buys
Tucson native, Brenda Willer Buys, completed her DMA in Bassoon Performance at the University of Arizona writing her dissertation on the jazz-flavored works of composer Libby Larsen. A multi-instrumentalist, she also holds a master's degree in woodwinds from Florida State University and a bachelor's degree in both clarinet and bassoon from the University of Arizona. She has played with orchestras throughout Southern Arizona, served as second bassoon of the Tempe-based Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble, and currently serves as the second bassoonist for the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra. With the LüftBassoons she has performed at International Double Reed Society conferences, across southern Arizona, and internationally. Dr. Buys worked as the Director of Music and Worship Arts at Fountain of Life Lutheran Church leading chancel choir and handbell choir. Currently, she teaches music at Copper Ridge Elementary, is a woodwind and theory instructor at Cochise College, and serves as the bassoon fingering coordinator for the International Double Reed Society. More about Dr. Buys can be found at Willer's Woodwinds.
Tucson native, Brenda Willer Buys, completed her DMA in Bassoon Performance at the University of Arizona writing her dissertation on the jazz-flavored works of composer Libby Larsen. A multi-instrumentalist, she also holds a master's degree in woodwinds from Florida State University and a bachelor's degree in both clarinet and bassoon from the University of Arizona. She has played with orchestras throughout Southern Arizona, served as second bassoon of the Tempe-based Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble, and currently serves as the second bassoonist for the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra. With the LüftBassoons she has performed at International Double Reed Society conferences, across southern Arizona, and internationally. Dr. Buys worked as the Director of Music and Worship Arts at Fountain of Life Lutheran Church leading chancel choir and handbell choir. Currently, she teaches music at Copper Ridge Elementary, is a woodwind and theory instructor at Cochise College, and serves as the bassoon fingering coordinator for the International Double Reed Society. More about Dr. Buys can be found at Willer's Woodwinds.
Cassandra Bendickson
A native Arizonan and Tucson freelancer on bassoon and contrabassoon, Cassandra Bendickson holds a master's degree in Bassoon performance from the University of Arizona and plays principal bassoon with the Sedona Symphony. In addition, she participates widely in small chamber gangs, like LüftBassoons, Tucson Duo Project, Crowded Quartet, Lend An Ear Chamber Players, and the "Garage Classical" series ChamberLab. Additionally, she maintains an active recording and live performance schedule with Peregrine Rose Trio with whom she has an album emerging in 2026 and with the Ladies Reeding Society, including many recordings on YouTube from festival as well as asynchronous performances. She has performed internationally in Mexico and Japan, and is an active member of the American Federation of Musicians, the International Society of Double Reeds, and teaches a growing studio of young and young-in-spirit bassoonists. Check out BocalSoup.com for more about Ms. Bendickson.
A native Arizonan and Tucson freelancer on bassoon and contrabassoon, Cassandra Bendickson holds a master's degree in Bassoon performance from the University of Arizona and plays principal bassoon with the Sedona Symphony. In addition, she participates widely in small chamber gangs, like LüftBassoons, Tucson Duo Project, Crowded Quartet, Lend An Ear Chamber Players, and the "Garage Classical" series ChamberLab. Additionally, she maintains an active recording and live performance schedule with Peregrine Rose Trio with whom she has an album emerging in 2026 and with the Ladies Reeding Society, including many recordings on YouTube from festival as well as asynchronous performances. She has performed internationally in Mexico and Japan, and is an active member of the American Federation of Musicians, the International Society of Double Reeds, and teaches a growing studio of young and young-in-spirit bassoonists. Check out BocalSoup.com for more about Ms. Bendickson.
HONORED GUEST ARTISTS
Peggy Dudley
Margaret (Peggy) Dudley, was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She completed her BA from the University of Michigan studying with Hugh Cooper and her MA from Manhattan School of Music where her teacher was Stephen Maxym. A scholarship gave her the opportunity to study at the
Musik Hochschule in Munich. After her first job as 1st Bassoonist of the Philharmonic Opera Orchestra in Nürnberg, Germany she became Solo Bassoonist with the Radio Orchestra of Frankfurt and later Asst. Solo Bassoonist of the Hr Sinfonie Orchester/Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Alongside being active as a teacher, she has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the USA, South America, Asia and Europe.
Robert Williams
Robert Williams was Principal Bassoonist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1974 to 2020. Prior to that he was a solo bassoonist with the Winnipeg Symphony, Winnipeg CBC Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic and Tucson Symphony. He has also played summer engagements with the Minnesota Orchestra and Boston Symphony at Tanglewood. A native of Tucson, Arizona, he graduated with honors from the University of Arizona. He received his graduate degree at the University of Southern California. His major bassoon teachers include Wendal Jones, Leonard Sharrow and Norman Herzberg. Robert lives in Tucson with his wife, Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) English hornist Treva Womble and son Trevor. When not practicing or making reeds he enjoys fly-fishing and tying flies.
Peggy Dudley
Margaret (Peggy) Dudley, was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She completed her BA from the University of Michigan studying with Hugh Cooper and her MA from Manhattan School of Music where her teacher was Stephen Maxym. A scholarship gave her the opportunity to study at the
Musik Hochschule in Munich. After her first job as 1st Bassoonist of the Philharmonic Opera Orchestra in Nürnberg, Germany she became Solo Bassoonist with the Radio Orchestra of Frankfurt and later Asst. Solo Bassoonist of the Hr Sinfonie Orchester/Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Alongside being active as a teacher, she has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the USA, South America, Asia and Europe.
Robert Williams
Robert Williams was Principal Bassoonist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1974 to 2020. Prior to that he was a solo bassoonist with the Winnipeg Symphony, Winnipeg CBC Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic and Tucson Symphony. He has also played summer engagements with the Minnesota Orchestra and Boston Symphony at Tanglewood. A native of Tucson, Arizona, he graduated with honors from the University of Arizona. He received his graduate degree at the University of Southern California. His major bassoon teachers include Wendal Jones, Leonard Sharrow and Norman Herzberg. Robert lives in Tucson with his wife, Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) English hornist Treva Womble and son Trevor. When not practicing or making reeds he enjoys fly-fishing and tying flies.
Juan José Arévalo (former member/founder)
Founder of the LüftBassoons Quartet, Juan José was born and raised in Donna, Texas and began his studies at the Conservatory of Music of Oberlin with George Sakakeeny. He later studied at the University of Arizona under William Dietz where he performed as bassoonist and contrabassoonist in the Arizona Symphony Orchestra. His other teachers have included Ron Dunmore, Gretchen Hausfeld and Martín García and he has taken master classes with Hugh Cooper and Robert Williams. In 2013 he premiered Green Ravine, a piece written for him by the composer Matthew Fields, co-commissioned a new bassoon sonata by composer Jim Stephenson, and is responsible for the very first and most recent quartet pieces written for the LüftBassoons - “La República del Agua” by Juan Carlos Villaseñor in 2015 and “Fariseos” and “Frida”, by Nubia Jaime Donjuan in 2021.
Mr. Arévalo retired from bassoon playing in 2023 and will be forever missed by his co-conspirators.
Founder of the LüftBassoons Quartet, Juan José was born and raised in Donna, Texas and began his studies at the Conservatory of Music of Oberlin with George Sakakeeny. He later studied at the University of Arizona under William Dietz where he performed as bassoonist and contrabassoonist in the Arizona Symphony Orchestra. His other teachers have included Ron Dunmore, Gretchen Hausfeld and Martín García and he has taken master classes with Hugh Cooper and Robert Williams. In 2013 he premiered Green Ravine, a piece written for him by the composer Matthew Fields, co-commissioned a new bassoon sonata by composer Jim Stephenson, and is responsible for the very first and most recent quartet pieces written for the LüftBassoons - “La República del Agua” by Juan Carlos Villaseñor in 2015 and “Fariseos” and “Frida”, by Nubia Jaime Donjuan in 2021.
Mr. Arévalo retired from bassoon playing in 2023 and will be forever missed by his co-conspirators.
