Photo by Anna Maxwell, NSP Studios
JKSK
JKSK
JKShafer
BASSOONIST
HATS + HEELS DUO
Blaire is a founding member of Hats + Heels, a quirky duo of bassoon and harp that focuses on storytelling. Their innovative performances are infused with a variety of art forms and technology that help us weave colorful tales ranging from comedic to heart-wrenching, educational to ludicrous, and exploratory to enlightening. They aim to engage audiences through the universal intrigue of an entertaining story, incorporating words, images, fashion and movement, allowing space for individual interpretation.
Aiming to expand the bassoon & harp repertoire, H+H commissions new works, encouraging a composers to incorporate elements beyond the musical realm. Their album Women Are…, released in 2022, includes all new repertoire by women-identifying composers exploring women-related figures, characters, topics, or ideology to celebrate the 100th year since the passing of the 19th Amendment supporting women’s right to vote.
FREELANCER
As a freelance bassoonist, Blaire has performed and collaborated with a variety of ensembles from local orchestra’s to Broadway tours. She is a returning artist for the June in Buffalo Festival and Slee Sinfonietta at the University at Buffalo. There she played with the New York group Ensemble Signal and renowned violinist Irvine Arditti. Blaire is also a substitute bassoonist for Syracuse’s Symphoria & Binghamton Philharmonic. In addition, Blaire has traveled internationally on her instrument including in Austria, Italy, Germany, France, and Switzerland.