Jessica Yang

Jessica Findley Yang is a professional freelance bassoonist and reed-maker based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is the newly appointed Principal Bassoon of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. Jessica previously held the same position in the Central City Opera Orchestra in Central City, Colorado, as well as various other positions in the Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Lansing Symphonies. She has also been an invited guest performer in many professional orchestral bassoon sections, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, and the New World Symphony, as well as many other regional groups throughout the Midwest. Jessica is an award-winning bassoonist, winning both the Texas Music Festival concerto competition and MDRS Young Artist Competition in 2013, and winning second place in the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition in 2016. 

Jessica earned bassoon performance degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Kansas, and her teachers have included William Winstead, Martin Garcia, Eric Stomberg, Maya Stone, Nathaniel Zeisler, and Merrilee Tuinstra. Jessica is a passionate music educator, previously serving as the Bassoon Instructor at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. She currently teaches bassoon at Macalester College, as well as privately in her home studio.

In addition to her performance and educational career, Jessica is also the owner of Jiffy Reeds (www.jiffyreeds.com), selling student and professional bassoon reeds to a wide national and international customer base. She is frequently invited as a guest artist and lecturer to collegiate bassoon studios to provide masterclasses on reed making. In her spare time, Jessica loves spending time with her husband & three-year-old son, trying new recipes, and playing board games.