Judith LeClair
Bassoon · United States
The New York Philharmonic's principal bassoon for over four decades
In short
Judith LeClair has been principal bassoon of the New York Philharmonic since the early 1980s, one of the longest-serving principal players in the orchestra. She is the soloist in a new bassoon concerto by Kevin Puts, a piece that puts an instrument rarely heard as a soloist in front of the full orchestra.
What to listen for
The bassoon is usually heard blended into the orchestra's woodwind and bass lines, so a concerto gives it a chance to show a wider range of color, from a dry, reedy low register to a surprisingly light, almost flute-like top. Expect LeClair's playing to bring the clarity and confident phrasing of decades spent leading an orchestral woodwind section, along with the agility a contemporary concerto by a living composer like Puts demands. The program also includes Florence Price's Dances in the Canebrakes and Schubert's expansive Ninth Symphony, giving the evening a wide historical range around the new concerto at its center.
Written by OrchestraFinder, reviewed September 2026.