Rebekah Heller Joins Faculty At Mannes School Of Music

The New School announced today that acclaimed bassoonist, Rebekah Heller, has joined the faculty of Mannes School of Music.

Praised for her "flair" and "deftly illuminated" performances by The New York Times, bassoonist Rebekah Heller is a uniquely dynamic soloist and collaborative artist. Called "an impressive solo bassoonist" by The New Yorker, she is fiercely committed to expanding the modern repertoire for the bassoon. Her debut solo album of world premiere recordings (featuring five new pieces written with and for her), 100 Names, was called "pensive and potent" by The New York Times and her second album, METAFAGOTE, has received wide acclaim.

As Co-Artistic Director and bassoonist of the renowned International Contemporary Ensemble, Rebekah has premiered hundreds of new works on stages the world over. She made her solo debut with the New York Philharmonic in September 2018, playing the music of longtime collaborator Ashley Fure, and has been a featured soloist with the Seattle Symphony, the Nagoya Philharmonic, and the New World Symphony.

"I'm thrilled to join the faculty at Mannes School of Music," said Heller. "Not only is their leadership visionary, but the artistry of the existing faculty is incredibly humbling. I will continue in my role as Co-Artistic Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble while working to build a robust and boundary-breaking bassoon studio at Mannes."

At Mannes, Heller serves on the major lesson faculty in the Woodwind Department, chaired by Judith Mendenhall. Heller also co-teaches an Open ICE class where students from across the College of Performing Arts work side-by-side with ICEensemble members to create four free, public events and a substantial online presence. Each event will include new works by living artist-creators supporting socially responsible curating, in so doing expanding the ecosystem of contemporary performing arts to be more welcoming, generous, and open. Heller also collaborates with students and faculty across the college in a wide range of special projects, productions, and courses.

Committed to fostering conversations around new ways music can be experienced and shared, Heller has been a featured panelist at the New York Philharmonic's "Insights at the Atrium," the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Miller Theater and the Abrons Arts Center. She has given masterclasses and lectures at many institutions, including Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect, Oberlin Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, and the Manhattan School of Music, among many others. Rebekah will begin teaching at the Mannes School of Music at the New School, in the Fall of 2019.

Before joining the International Contemporary Ensemble in 2008, Heller served as Principal Bassoonist of the Jacksonville Symphony. She is an alum of the New World Symphony, UT Austin, and Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music. She lives in Manhattan.

Founded in 1916 by America's first great violin recitalist and noted educator, David Mannes, Mannes School of Music is a standard-bearer for innovative artistry, dedicated to developing citizen artists who seek to make the world a better and more beautiful place. Through its undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies programs, Mannes offers a curriculum as imaginative as it is rigorous, taught by a world-class faculty and visiting artists. Distinguished Mannes alumni include the 20th century songwriting legend Burt Bacharach, the great pianists Richard Goode, Marray Perahia, and Bill Evans, acclaimed conductors Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, Joann Falleta, and Julias Rudel, beloved mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, as well as the great opera stars of today, Yonghoon Lee, Danielle De Niese, and Nadine Sierra.

Founded in 1919, The New School was established to advance academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. A century later, The New School remains at the forefront of innovation in higher education, inspiring more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students to challenge the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The university welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and public programs that encourage open discourse and social engagement. Through our online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence.