Dr. Will Peebles

Biography

Dr. Peebles studied bassoon with Edgar Kirk, Richard Beene, Barrick Stees, and Robert Williams. He also studied oboe with Daniel Stolper. He is active in recitals, chamber music, and plays contrabassoon for the Asheville Symphony and other orchestras in the region. His doctoral dissertation on the development of bassoon fingerings led him to develop a small personal collection of historical bassoons, including some unusual ones that show the influence of the Boehm system.<br><br>Will also teaches and participates in shape-note singings around western North Carolina. He coordinates shape-note singing for WCU's Mountain Heritage Day the last Saturday in September. This singing uses B. F. White's <i><u>Sacred Harp </u></i>(1844) in the morning and William Walker's <i><u>Christian Harmony </u></i>(1866) in the afternoon.<br><br>In his spare time, Will enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and woodworking. He is a member of the American Federation of Musicians, the International Double Reed Society, and the American Musical Instrument Society.

Education

• DMA, Michigan State University
• MM, Michigan State University
• MSW, Michigan State University
• BA, Michigan State University

Teaching Interests

A fourth-generation college professor, Dr. Peebles teaches the bassoon studio, gamelan ensemble, and courses in music theory. Other courses that he has taught include counterpoint, orchestration, music history, and world music. Will also coordinates advising for the School of Music.

Research Interests

Dr. Peebles has recently written several articles on James Dean Mackey, a photoengraver and amateur musician from Newark, OH, who patented two ingenious mechanisms for the clarinet in the 1920s and built a highly unusual Boehm-system bassoon in the 1930s. He is working on an article about another unusual bassoon once owned by Fred Bettoney (Boston Symphony, 1920-1933) that combines German, French, and Boehm fingerings.