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Brief biography

Katrina Russell has a diverse performance background with repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary music, and from orchestral playing to solo appearances. Having located to Vancouver Island in 2010, she previously lived in London, England where she spent many years playing both modern and historical bassoons. As a specialist in historical performance, she has played and recorded with many of the period instrument ensembles in Britain and Europe, including The English Concert, The King’s Consort, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Academy of Ancient Music, The Hanover Band, The Gabrieli Consort and Players, L’Orchestre de la Champs Elysees, The Orchestra of “The Sixteen”, and The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, amongst others. As a member of many of these groups Katrina has toured widely, appearing at many leading festivals around the world including Perth (Australia), Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, Mostly Mozart (Lincoln Center, New York), and the BBC Proms. She has also performed with The London Chamber Orchestra, and in North America with New York Philomusica, the Vancouver Symphony, Victoria Symphony and the Vancouver Island Symphony. She also appears regularly with various West Coast period instrument ensembles, including Early Music Vancouver, The Pacific Baroque Orchestra, and Victoria Baroque.

As a teacher, Katrina has been teaching privately since 1987 with students ranging in age from 11 to 80. As well as bassoon instruction, she has given specialist classes in reed making techniques and been involved with school and community based educational workshops, including most recently the Early Music Vancouver “Online School - Encountering the Baroque Orchestra”. She taught for several seasons at the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre summer music camp, and has been the Baroque Bassoon instructor for the Summer Baroque Academy at the Victoria Conservatory since 2017. Katrina is currently on Faculty at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music, and teaches as part of the Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme at the University of British Columbia.

In addition to performance and teaching, Katrina also works with her husband, horn player Andrew Clark in their joint business - - making both historical and modern horns, and other brass instruments.

Selected recordings 

Arne: Artaxerxes (The Classical Opera Company) (Linn)

Bach: B minor Mass (The King’s Consort) (Hyperion)

Bach: St. Mark Passion (European Union Baroque Orchestra) (Musica Oscura)

Handel: Oratorio: Joseph and His Brethren (The King’s Consort) (Hyperion)

Handel: Oratorio: Alexander Balus (The King’s Consort) (Hyperion)

Handel: Oratorio: Solomon (Gabrieli Consort and Players) (Archiv)

Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks (The English Concert) (Archiv)

Handel: Oratorio: Orlando (Pacific Baroque Orchestra) (ATMA Classique)

Handel and Telemann: Water Music (The King’s Consort) (Hyperion)

Haydn: Various Orchestral works (The Orchestra of the Golden Age)

Haydn: L’Isola Disabitata (New York Philomusica) (NY Philomusica records)

D’Indy (Vincent): Chanson et Danses Op 50 for 7 wind instruments (“French Masters - propelled by the winds” (New York Philomusica) (NY Philomusica records)

Mozart: The A to Z of Mozart Opera (The Classical Opera Company) (Signum Classics)

Poulenc: Sextuor for piano and winds (“French Masters - propelled by the winds” New York Philomusica) (NY Philomusica records)

Rameau and Lully: Suite from Les Boreades, Suite in C major (The King’s Consort) (Anderson Consulting)

Zelenka: Sinfonia for solo oboe, violin, bassoon, and ‘cello (Fiori Musicali) (Metronome)

Zelenka: Sonata No. 3 in B flat major for violin, oboe, bassoon and continuo (“From Baroque to Berkeley” New York Philomusica) (NY Philomusica records)

Collections:

“Virtuosi of the Baroque” with Victoria Baroque Players (Marquis, 2014)

• Telemann: Concerto in D, TWV53:D5
• Fux: Rondeau in C for violin, bassoon, and strings
• Graupner: Ouverture in G for flute, bassoon, strings and continuo GWV 464

“Nuits blanches: Opera Arias at the Russian Court of the 18th Century,” Karina Gauvin (soprano) (Pacific Baroque Orchestra) (Atma Classique2020)