Biography
Dorian Antipa is the principal bassoonist with the Great Falls Symphony and a member of the Chinook Winds. Mr. Antipa has performed extensively with orchestras in California, Connecticut, Illinois, and Montana. He can be heard on multiple wind ensemble recordings released by Naxos and the Chinook Winds’ debut CD, which includes three previously unrecorded works for wind quintet.
Dorian is a passionate teacher who enjoys working with musicians of all ages and abilities. For four years, he regularly made the long drive to Bozeman where he was the bassoon professor at Montana State University. Mr. Antipa previously served as a visiting professor at the University of Montana in Missoula and the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in California. He has also taught at the Hartt Community Division in Connecticut, the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts in Illinois, and Great Falls College. With more than 15 years of experience, Dorian continues to maintain a robust private studio of local bassoon students.
Acting on an interest that had been percolating since high school, Dorian recently took a hiatus from his work in Great Falls to spend time in Red Wing, MN, where he earned another degree, this time in band instrument repair. He is excited to have returned home where he has resumed his performing and private teaching while simultaneously setting up shop as a sole-proprietor repair technician.
Chamber music has always been a passion, with the music from two extremes–the baroque and contemporary–of primary interest. In service of the latter, Dorian is half of DuoXylo, a recently formed bassoon and percussion duo, which has commissioned three new works from a diverse group of composers that will be premiered this season at the Festival of New American Music in California. Watch for DuoXylo coming to a venue closer to home in Montana in the future!
Mr. Antipa earned a Bachelor of Music at California State University, Sacramento, and a master’s degree and Doctor of Musical Arts in bassoon performance with a minor in history at The Hartt School of Music, Dance, and Theater in Hartford, CT.
Since joining the Great Falls Symphony Association in the 2016 season, Dorian is thrilled to call Montana home with his wife, Emily, and their dog, Dennis. Together they love to be active, from skiing and playing hockey in winter, to mountain biking, rock climbing, canoeing, and backpacking when it is warmer.