Matthew Karr

Principal Bassoon
Paul D. McDowell Chair 

Matthew Karr received a bachelors degree from Oberlin Conservatory in 1978 and a Masters degree from SUNY at Stonybrook. In 1979 Mr. Karr won the Principal Bassoon position with the Louisville Orchestra. He has also served as Associate Principal Bassoon with the Houston Symphony during the 2000-01 season, taking a one year leave from the Louisville Orchestra.

An active chamber musician, Mr. Karr attended the Marlboro Festival in Vermont in 1989 and 1990. He is a regular guest performer with the Ronen ensemble of Indianapolis (a chamber group made up of members of the Indianapolis Symphony) since 1986. Mr. Karr was a founding member of the Kentucky Center Chamber Players and has performed with the group since its inception in 1983.

Matthew has been featured as soloist with the Louisville Orchestra on seven different ocassions, most notably for the North American premieres of both Michael Daugherty’s “Hells Angels” and Simon Bainbridge’s “At an Uncertain Hour.” He has also performed Concerti by Telemann, Mozart, Haydn and Vivaldi. Matthew has performed as soloist with the Civic Orchestra of Louisville, the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Orquestra Filarmonic UNAM of Mexico City, and the Indiana University SE Orchestra.

Mr. Karr began teaching at the University of Louisville in 1979. He has served on the faculties of the Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara CA.), and the Interlochen Arts Camp (Michigan). His principal teachers include Kenneth Moore, Willard Elliot, Arthur Weisberg and Lou Skinner.

Matthew produced a compact disc, “A Bassoonists Voice,” in 1997. The American Record Guide said of this CD: “The Bach Partita is immaculately played… The villa Lobos is given a technically flawless reading… Schumann’s splendid Fantasiestucke is given a fine reading, played on the instrument that is sounds best on.”

The international Double Reed Journal said of the CD: “Matthew Karr has a fine, clean technique, and a lovely lyrical style and vibrato. This is a fine, carefully prepared and beautifully performed CD by a talented young artist.”