Staff
Bruce Bonnell
Associate Professor of Horn
Bruce Bonnell, horn. A chamber music specialist, Dr. Bonnell has enjoyed a successful career as orchestral performer, soloist, clinician and pedagogue on the horn and natural horn throughout North America and Southeast Asia. Born and raised in Newfoundland, Dr. Bonnell received his undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Performance from Memorial University and The Guildhall School of Music (London, England), his Master of Music from Northwestern University (Pi Kappa Lambda) in 1991 and a Doctor of Music at Indiana University in 2003. From 1997-98 he was Assistant Professor of horn and theory at Indiana State University and has been professor of horn at Central Michigan University since 2000.
In May of 2008, Dr. Bonnell released Souvenirs: Chamber Music for Horn, Flute and Piano with Italian flute virtuoso Vieri Bottazzini and acclaimed Canadian pianist Dr. Peter Green on Centaur Records. The recording continues to garner rave critical reviews and was nominated for the 2009 “Classical Recording of the Year” award by the East Coast Music Association.
Dr. Bonnell’s orchestral experiences include Second Horn in the Hong Kong Philharmonic from 1991-1994, and Principal Horn in the Malaysian Philharmonic from 1998-2000 where he earned high praise for his playing from such notable maestros as Kurt Masur, Sir Neville Marriner, Kenneth Jean, David Atherton, Jan Pascal Tortelier and Hans Graf. He has performed with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony, Hull Chamber Orchestra, Bloomington Camerata, Pan Asian Symphony and is presently Principal Horn with the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. Solo and chamber music highlights include the finals of the 1989 Canadian Music Competition, the 1998 Fischoff Chamber Music competition and recitals throughout North America and Southeast Asia.
An enthusiastic performer of new works for horn, Dr. Bonnell premiered David Gillingham’s Baker’s Dozen at the 2001 International Horn Symposium, Danzas Breves for Horn and Percussion by José-Luis Maúrtua at the 2004 Sound Symposium in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and gave the world premiere of David Gillingham’s Concerto for Horn and Symphonic Band in St. John’s, Newfoundland in May of 2007 and at the 41st International Horn Symposium in June of 2009.
As a member of the Powers Woodwind Quintet, he has toured and performed throughout the Midwestern states and has worked with the group on several recording projects including Brementown Musicians released in 2006 on Centaur Records, Clarinet Chamber Music of Alvin Etler, also on the Centaur label, in 2008, and a forthcoming recording on the White Pine label entitled Gems of the Woodwind Quintet Repertoire due for release in 2009. His teachers include William Costin, Kjellrun Hestekin, Michael Hatfield, Paul Tervelt, Richard Seraphinoff and Richard Bissill.
Contact Information
Email: bonne1bm@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-1375
Room: MU 182
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