AFRICAN AMERICAN ORCHESTRA FELLOW

by LATOYA CROSS

Distinctive in appearance with its tube-like shape that looks as if it's been folded in two, the bassoon carries a whimsical aural aesthetic. Its low notes and versatile musicality produce both bounce and poppy tunes, as well as velvety rich melodies that pull attention toward emotional elements in a composition.

“We can really sing and give this chocolatey tone that sings over the orchestra. It doesn’t project well, so you have to really listen for it, and I like that because you have to pull people in with you,” expresses Jaquain Sloan, bassoonist, and DSO African American Orchestra Fellow. “I want you to come into this zone and see this nest that I’m making for you…come into the music with me.”

Like the lyrical and jovial characteristics of the bassoon, at the root of Sloan’s artistic palette is deep storytelling—in addition to orchestral playing, he also sings with social justice choirs and has even dabbled in acting. A North Carolina native, his exploration of instruments started when he joined the band in middle school and played percussion. The bassoon, however, was the instrument that held his attention and challenged him on a different level.

“It’s one of the most versatile winds. It gave me a challenge that the other instruments didn’t because of the complicated fingering system,” he says. “I would sit in front of the computer and just learn scales. I was in a zone learning it and mastering it.”

Sloan’s dedication earned him a full collegiate scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in bassoon performance. He also holds a Master of Music degree and Performance Certificate from the University of Southern California and earned an Honorable Mention in the 2023 Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions (SOPA) Excerpt Competition. He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Debut Symphony; as well as in a tribute to composer Tania León during the 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.

As a person who did not always see himself reflected on stage in classical music, Sloan credits the DSO fellow- ship with providing a clearer path for the future of his artistry. “Being here in Detroit with the DSO, I’ve gotten the confidence from my peers and colleagues that I can do this and being in an orchestra could very well be my future,” he says. “I have a duty to my people, my classical music Black people, to help drive initiatives that educate and show us here.”

Representation not only on stage, but also in understanding the depths of what Black and brown communities have contributed to the field of classical music is why the Classical Roots concert is a highlight for Sloan. “There’s a feeling that you get with Classical Roots,” he says with adrenaline still pumping from the DSO’s 2022 performance with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

“You saw people who are deep in classical music and that’s their life, and then people who are deep in jazz and other musical styles; it’s all combining, and everyone is hootin’ and hollerin’—all the stuff that has Black roots in an artistic way, and the musicians loved it—the flow of artistry was vibrating.”

He adds, “I have always wanted to create some kind of fusion between all the worlds in classical music— when you mix and mingle different genres and do it in an artistic way that is pleasing to the listeners and the players, it makes the music that much more powerful.”