THE RESONANCE ATLAS
Damian Montaño
Biography
Damian Montaño is an American bassoonist and composer whose career spans orchestral performance, film recording and concert composition. A member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, he has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera and Pacific Symphony. As a studio musician, he has recorded bassoon and contrabassoon for film and television scores, working on projects associated with composers including John Williams, Danny Elfman and Michael Giacchino.
His compositions have attracted commissions from the Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Dallas Winds and the University of Illinois wind ensemble, among others. At the 2012 International Double Reed Society conference, he premiered his own bassoon concerto Three Night Pieces as soloist. Montaño studied at Rice University and the University of Southern California, where his teachers included Benjamin Kamins and Rose Corrigan.
Why this music interests us
Montaño's music draws on an unusually broad experience of orchestral and studio performance. Disappearing Moon, for oboe, bassoon and piano, and Stained Glass, for oboe, bassoon and harp, offer contrasting chamber trios; Mudslide explores bass clarinet and bassoon, while Mosaics joins bassoon and horn with string quintet. These works suggest a valuable source of neglected repertoire built around distinctive instrumental colours.
Selected works & listening
Disappearing Moon (oboe, bassoon, piano); Stained Glass (oboe, bassoon, harp); Mudslide (bass clarinet, bassoon); Mosaics (bassoon, horn, string quintet); Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon; Three Night Pieces
Further information