Feliformia - OB/BSN

Feliformia

for oboe and bassoon 
by Martin J. Van Klompenberg - American bassoonist and composer

ABOUT THE MUSIC

When my friend, Erin, approached me about writing a suite of pieces about wild felines, the first one leapt to my mind was the fossa of Madagascar. There was only one problem: the fossa isn’t a feline. It is, however, related to felines through the suborder of Feliformia.

Feliformia is the suborder of Mammalia that contains cat-like predators, including not just cats such as the lion and the jaguar, but also the fossa, civet, hyena, mongoose, and binturong. This diversity is what I’m hoping to celebrate in this work.

The work opens with Fossa, the aggressive apex predator of Madagascar, ferocious in its territory; Next is Pygmy Mongoose, the smallest Mammalian predator, living a dangerous life as both predator and prey; Finally, the solitary Jaguar, blending into its rainforest habitat, waiting to strike.

A portion of the proceeds from Feliformia will go to the Sa  Antonio Zoo, in San Antonio, Texas. This facility participates in the Species Survival Program (SSP) for the South American Jaguar for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the primary accreditation organization for North American animal collections.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Originally from Holland, Michigan, Martin J. Van Klompenberg currently teaches bassoon and chamber music at the Challey School of Music at North Dakota State University.  From 2013 – 2022, he served as a member of the United States Army Band program, performing with the 101st Airborne Division “Air Assault” Band (Fort Campbell, KY), the 282nd Army Band (Fort Jackson, SC), and the 323rd Army Band “Fort Sam’s Own” (Fort Sam Houston/San Antonio, TX). Prior to joining the ranks of military musicians, he attended the University of Arizona, where he obtained the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree, studying with William Dietz. He also earned degrees from Arizona State University and Western Michigan University, studying with Albie Micklich and Wendy Rose, respectively. He has also studied composition with award-winning composer Jenni Brandon.

Martin currently performs with the Fargo-Moorhead and Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestras, and has been privileged to perform with the Louisville Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony (Charleston, WV), Lexington (KY) Philharmonic, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and his hometown, Holland (MI) Symphony Orchestra. He has also been fortunate to perform at conferences for the International Double Reed Society, the International Clarinet Association, the National Flute Association, the College Music Society, and the Texas Music Education Association.

A proponent of new music, Martin is active in commissioning projects for new works for bassoon, commissioning and premiering new works by Jamie Leigh Sampson, Lisa Neher, Rob McClure, Shao Fern Teo, Dylan Findley, and Brian Bunker. Currently, Martin is working with composer Snow Kim to commission a new piece for contrabassoon and piano.

As a composer, his works have been performed by artists such as the Heartland Marimba Ensemble, the University of Georgia Contemporary Ensemble, 240 Northern (Vancouver, British Columbia), Scott Pool (Bassoon – Texas A&M at Corpus Christi), Valerie Cowan (The United States Army Fife and Drum Corps), and Erin (Webber) Mallard (Oboe – The University of Texas at San Antonio), and at venues such as the National Flute Association annual convention, the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, International Double Reed Society annual conference, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, Vox Novus and the Tutti New Music Festival. In 2023, he was chosen as a winner of the International Double Reed Society Commissioning Competition, and his work, 3 Travelers, for solo bassoon, was premiered by Kunatorn Teekakul at their 2023 Annual Conference in Thailand. In July 2024, his new concerto for contrabassoon and chamber orchestra, The Crater of Doom, was premiered in Flagstaff, Arizona by Leigh Munoz (University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music) and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra .

When not playing bassoon, Martin enjoys spending time with his wife, Abbie, (Assistant Professor of Music Education, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN), and his two rescue dogs, Sirius and Luna, visiting America’s zoos and supporting the Chicago Cubs.