Rock E Bassoon is an electric rock band comprised of six bassoonists and a drummer. Rock E Bassoon performs classic rock and pop, such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Metallica, Michael Jacksonand The Who. Rock E Bassoon’s musicians include three members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a professor of bassoon at the Butler University School of Music and professional free-lance bassoonists. Rock E Bassoon is unique in that it is perhaps the only rock bassoon band in the United States that is electric and uses effects pedals to alter the ordinary sounds of the bassoon. Rock E Bassoon is committed to the profound role that the creative arts plays in the health and vitality of a community and in healing persons who are ill. To that end, the Sydney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital lobby has become home to Rock E Bassoon’s rehearsals, allowing for interactive experiences among the band and patients, their families, hospital staff and physicians. Since 2016, Rock E Bassoon has worked to make live music accessible to the entire Indianapolis community.
Our History
Rock E Bassoon was formed in 2016 for the purpose of performing at Tonic Ball, an annual music festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, that raises charitable funds for Second Helpings, a not-for-profit social services organization that provides nutritious food for people in need. Rock E Bassoon debuted on Friday, November 18, 2016, on Tonic Ball’s Beatles Stage at the Fountain Square Theater. At that point, Rock E Bassoon was comprised of four bassoonists, Mark Ortwein, Doug Spaniol, Diana Ortega and Matt Gutwein. All four bassoonists performed amplified, using specially designed pick-ups, and Ortwein played with effects pedals, causing his bassoon to sound like an electric guitar. Rock E Bassoon’s first song was an instrumental four-bassoon arrangement of the Beatles’ Got To Get You In To My Life. The band’s second song was an arrangement of Elenor Rigby, which Rock E Bassoon commissioned from New York City arranger and jazz musician Ben Ringer. For this song, the band was joined by two vocalists, Dr. Andrew T. Bridge, an Indianapolis dermatologist, musician and oenophile, and Jacob Eaton, an underground indie singer and songwriter. Next, Rock E Bassoon performed its own arrangement of Let It Be. Bridge sang lead vocals. Eaton played guitar and sang backup vocals. Also singing backup vocals were Indianapolis celebrity chef Becky Hostetter and Annie Hostetter, a member of Second Helpings’ staff. Half way through its performance of Let It Be, Rock E Bassoon was joined on stage by Pork and Beans, a 10-piece New Orleans brass band. Many in the audience sang along loudly and cried. As an encore, and to the surprise of the audience expecting to hear only Beatles songs, Rock E Bassoon performed Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog, featuring Ortwein’s distorted, screaming electric bassoon. Rock E Bassoon had rehearsed Black Dog for the first time only the night before the Tonic Ball. Black Dog has subsequently become a staple of Rock E Bassoon’s repertoire.
Rock E Bassoon’s next performance was a concert at the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital for patients, their families, doctors, staff and the public. Ortwein had created a six-bassoon arrangement of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. To perform this piece, two additional bassoonists were invited to join Rock E Bassoon: Mike Muszynski and Kelly Swensson. Also joining the band was drummer Craig Hetrick. Since the Eskenazi Hospital concert, Rock E Bassoon’s members have remained constant. Performing with six electric bassoons and drums, Rock E Bassoon perform works arranged by Mark Ortwein, Kelly Swensson and Mike Muszynski. The band has also commissioned works by Ben Ringer, Dylan Hostetter, Josh Silbert, and Danny Rivera. Rock E Bassoon has additionally adapted score arrangements by Richard Maximoff, John Reed, and Richard Hendrickson for the Hampton String Quartet.
Rock E Bassoon has been featured on WFYI (NPR), in the Indianapolis Star, NBC’s WTHR-TV 13, and on the Bob and Tom show. They have shared the stage with Indianapolis’s leading artists at Tonic Ball, fundraising event drawing in performances by Indianapolis’s top artists across multiple stages to raise funds for Second Helpings, a food rescue and hunger relief in the city of Indianapolis. Rock E Bassoon has raised charitable funds for the ACLU of Indiana a nonprofit organization “dedicated to defending and protecting the individual rights and personal freedom for all”, The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis’s Spotlight, a fundraising performing arts event that raises funds for HIV/ Aids treatment, prevention and testing programs, and Eskenazi Health, the public hospital division of Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. Rock E Bassoon was featured at Newfields’ Inaugural Octoberfest Celebration and will perform for the 2018 Indiana Colts home opening game.
WFYI's story on Rock E Bassoon was recently nominated for the 49th Annual Lower Great Lakes Emmy Award in the category of short formal program- information/ entertainment. The piece was produced and video graphed by Aric Hartvig. The Rock E Bassoon’s logo developed by Hirons & Company has previously won an ADDY award in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Members
Mark Ortwein- Acting principal and contra bassoonist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Diana Ortega- Freelance bassoonist and Ambassador for the Arts
Douglas Spaniol- Bassoon professor at Butler University‘s Jordan College of Fine Arts
Mike Muszynski- Second Bassoon of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Kelly Swensson- Freelance bassoonist, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
Craig Hetrick- Assistant Principal Timpani/Percussion of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Gutwein- Bassoonist, President and CEO of Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County
Our History
Rock E Bassoon was formed in 2016 for the purpose of performing at Tonic Ball, an annual music festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, that raises charitable funds for Second Helpings, a not-for-profit social services organization that provides nutritious food for people in need. Rock E Bassoon debuted on Friday, November 18, 2016, on Tonic Ball’s Beatles Stage at the Fountain Square Theater. At that point, Rock E Bassoon was comprised of four bassoonists, Mark Ortwein, Doug Spaniol, Diana Ortega and Matt Gutwein. All four bassoonists performed amplified, using specially designed pick-ups, and Ortwein played with effects pedals, causing his bassoon to sound like an electric guitar. Rock E Bassoon’s first song was an instrumental four-bassoon arrangement of the Beatles’ Got To Get You In To My Life. The band’s second song was an arrangement of Elenor Rigby, which Rock E Bassoon commissioned from New York City arranger and jazz musician Ben Ringer. For this song, the band was joined by two vocalists, Dr. Andrew T. Bridge, an Indianapolis dermatologist, musician and oenophile, and Jacob Eaton, an underground indie singer and songwriter. Next, Rock E Bassoon performed its own arrangement of Let It Be. Bridge sang lead vocals. Eaton played guitar and sang backup vocals. Also singing backup vocals were Indianapolis celebrity chef Becky Hostetter and Annie Hostetter, a member of Second Helpings’ staff. Half way through its performance of Let It Be, Rock E Bassoon was joined on stage by Pork and Beans, a 10-piece New Orleans brass band. Many in the audience sang along loudly and cried. As an encore, and to the surprise of the audience expecting to hear only Beatles songs, Rock E Bassoon performed Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog, featuring Ortwein’s distorted, screaming electric bassoon. Rock E Bassoon had rehearsed Black Dog for the first time only the night before the Tonic Ball. Black Dog has subsequently become a staple of Rock E Bassoon’s repertoire.
Rock E Bassoon’s next performance was a concert at the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital for patients, their families, doctors, staff and the public. Ortwein had created a six-bassoon arrangement of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. To perform this piece, two additional bassoonists were invited to join Rock E Bassoon: Mike Muszynski and Kelly Swensson. Also joining the band was drummer Craig Hetrick. Since the Eskenazi Hospital concert, Rock E Bassoon’s members have remained constant. Performing with six electric bassoons and drums, Rock E Bassoon perform works arranged by Mark Ortwein, Kelly Swensson and Mike Muszynski. The band has also commissioned works by Ben Ringer, Dylan Hostetter, Josh Silbert, and Danny Rivera. Rock E Bassoon has additionally adapted score arrangements by Richard Maximoff, John Reed, and Richard Hendrickson for the Hampton String Quartet.
Rock E Bassoon has been featured on WFYI (NPR), in the Indianapolis Star, NBC’s WTHR-TV 13, and on the Bob and Tom show. They have shared the stage with Indianapolis’s leading artists at Tonic Ball, fundraising event drawing in performances by Indianapolis’s top artists across multiple stages to raise funds for Second Helpings, a food rescue and hunger relief in the city of Indianapolis. Rock E Bassoon has raised charitable funds for the ACLU of Indiana a nonprofit organization “dedicated to defending and protecting the individual rights and personal freedom for all”, The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis’s Spotlight, a fundraising performing arts event that raises funds for HIV/ Aids treatment, prevention and testing programs, and Eskenazi Health, the public hospital division of Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. Rock E Bassoon was featured at Newfields’ Inaugural Octoberfest Celebration and will perform for the 2018 Indiana Colts home opening game.
WFYI's story on Rock E Bassoon was recently nominated for the 49th Annual Lower Great Lakes Emmy Award in the category of short formal program- information/ entertainment. The piece was produced and video graphed by Aric Hartvig. The Rock E Bassoon’s logo developed by Hirons & Company has previously won an ADDY award in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Members
Mark Ortwein- Acting principal and contra bassoonist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Diana Ortega- Freelance bassoonist and Ambassador for the Arts
Douglas Spaniol- Bassoon professor at Butler University‘s Jordan College of Fine Arts
Mike Muszynski- Second Bassoon of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Kelly Swensson- Freelance bassoonist, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
Craig Hetrick- Assistant Principal Timpani/Percussion of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Gutwein- Bassoonist, President and CEO of Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County
