Jaquain Sloan
No stranger to low notes, bassoonist/contrabassoonist Jaquain Sloan enjoys making the ground rumble when in performance. He has performed with a number of orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Southwest Symphony, and the Kennedy Center Honors Orchestra. He can be heard playing with ensembles on Naxos under the batons of Marin Alsop and Carl St. Clair.
Jaquain began his musical studies at age twelve as a percussionist when he participated in the middle school band. He stumbled upon the bassoon at age 15 and was self-taught until transferring to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for his senior year. There he received his HS diploma studying under the supervision of Saxton Rose. Now His ease over the bassoon has earned him recognition from organizations such as the Sphinx Organization, Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, and most recently with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra where he is an African-American Fellow.
A native of North Carolina, Jaquain holds a BM in Bassoon Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where he studied with Phillip Kolker, and a MM and a Performers Certificate from the University of Southern California as a student of Shawn Mouser.
When his instrument is not in hand, Jaquain can be found making reeds, dancing around his house, or working on his singing career. He can be heard raising a voice for social justice with Grammy nominated choral ensemble Tonality, or with The L.A Choral Lab both based in Los Angeles, CA. Sloan has done background vocal work with artists such as Bj枚rk, Phil Collins, Sigur Ros, and the Kronos Quartet.