Woodwind Chamber Ensembles

Bio: Laura Bennett Cameron’s artistic and research activities in Europe and in the United States have established an international reputation for expressive playing, innovative collaborations, and expansion of the bassoon’s repertoire through her work with international composers Roger Boutry, Matteo Dal Maso, and others. Laura Bennett Cameron serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon and Chamber Music at the University of Texas-Arlington, and as the Woodwind Area Coordinator. She also holds the principal bassoon position of the five-time Grammy-nominated Dallas Winds, and substitutes with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, among others. She appears frequently as a soloist, having given recent recital and concerto performances in the US and Europe. In January of 2020, she performed concertos by Rossini and Weber in San Marco and Turin, Italy, to enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim from Italian media. She is also a sought-after chamber collaborator, and has given performances with the Fine Arts Chamber Players, Spectrum Series, The UTA Faculty Wind Quintet, and through other chamber music organizations. She also hosts the multimedia series #BassoonistsTalk with Dr. Cayla Bellamy of Colorado State University. Never far away from the instrument, Dr. Bennett Cameron is actively involved in research and publication. Her main research focus is the music of French composer Roger Boutry (1932-2019, Grand Prix de Rome 1954). This pioneering research on Boutry and his compositions represents the first major published resources on the composer in any language. Further, she is actively involved in the editing and publication of Boutry’s works for bassoon through TrevCo Music Publishing and other publishing houses. She is frequently invited to speak about Boutry and perform his works, thanks to her unique close relationship to the composer during his life, and her continued relationship with his family. Inspired by her work with Boutry, Laura is the founder of La Société pour la Promotion de la Musique de Roger Boutry, an American foundation devoted to the promotion and advancement of Boutry's compositions. She also serves as solo bassoonist in The Boutry Ensemble, a chamber ensemble dedicated to the education and engagement of American audiences with the composer's body of work. Her debut recording, "French Masterworks for Bassoon and Piano," (Indesens Classique, 2016) recorded with composer Roger Boutry at the piano, has been praised as "virtuosic, lyrical, and engagingly musical" by critics across the globe. Her second CD with Roger Boutry, “Encounters,” is expected out in 2021, and was recorded with Gina Ford (Dallas Opera principal oboe), Joanna Cox Pennington (Louisiana State University the late Eric Varner, and fellow Boutry scholar and pianist Mathilde Handelsman (University of New Hampshire). This thrilling album brings Boutry’s newer and lesser-known works for double reeds and piano into the spotlight. Dr. Bennett Cameron holds a Doctor of Music in Bassoon from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, with concentrations in Music Theory and Early Music. She holds a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music from West Texas A&M University (all degrees earned with highest honors). Her principal teachers were William Ludwig, Richard Svoboda, Dr. Tina Carpenter, and Michael McCraw. In addition to an active solo recital schedule and regular chamber performances, she maintains a small private bassoon studio in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She serves on the Board of Directors Dallas’s Classical Radio Station, WRR 101.1, is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, the International Double Reed Society, and the Texas Music Educators Association.