Brisa de Paula

Dr. Brisa de Paula, originally from Brazil, serves as Instructor of Bassoon at the University of  Northern Iowa and as second bassoonist with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. She also continues her work as a freelance orchestra musician and digital content creator based in Minnesota, and she is a Sphinx Organization NAAS artist and grant recipient.

An experienced and multifaceted musician, Dr. Brisa de Paula performed extensively in Europe, where  she was sought after for consistency, artistry, and dedication, performing regularly with orchestras such as  Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken/Kaiserslautern,  Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Bremer  Philharmoniker, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Philharmonie  Südwestfalen, Münchner Bach Orchester, among others. She took time away from Europe in 2011 to  assist the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, the most prestigious orchestra in South America,  where she was the acting solo contrabassoonist and second bassoonist. As an avid chamber musician, in  2012 she had the distinction to be invited to participate as a member of the Zermatt Festival-Chamber  Music and Academy with the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berliner Philharmoniker in Zermatt,  Switzerland. During her residency in Zermatt, she performed more than a dozen concerts alongside  members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to her substantial background in orchestral  performance and chamber music, she performs regularly as a recitalist in the United States with pianist  and physician Warren T. Goodman. Their live and unedited performances are available on YouTube. 

Prior to her appointment at UNI, Dr. de Paula has served as Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon at the  University of Cincinnati/College-Conservatory of Music, teaching alongside the legendary pedagogue,  William Winstead, and as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Western Illinois University. Throughout her  teaching career, Dr. de Paula has given masterclasses at universities across the Midwest, as well as  numerous clinics for pre-college students.  

She earned a Master's Degree, as well as the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Bassoon Performance with  an emphasis in musicology from the University of Cincinnati/College-Conservatory of Music, where she  was the Bassoon Teaching Assistant. She also holds an Artist Diploma in Bassoon Performance from the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Saarbrücken, Germany. Her principal teachers include William Winstead, Gernot Friedrich, and Marc Engelhardt. Her musical training also includes masterclasses with Klaus Thunemann, Georg Klütsch, Helman Jung, and Christopher Millard.