Registration I Schedule of Events I Guest Artists I Faculty
Join us for Rocket City Reed Day, presented by the UAH Department of Music, on Saturday, November 14 in Roberts Hall on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
All reed students (oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon) in grades 6-12 are invited to join us for a day of reed activities!
Registration is free but required to attend. Registration includes:
- Lunch at the Charger Café
- A Rocket City Reed Day t-shirt
- Instrument-specific classes and All-State etude sessions
- Instrument choirs: double reed choir, clarinet choir, and saxophone choir
- Special topic workshops
- Two brief concerts featuring the instrumental choirs where door prizes will also be awarded
- Vendors and more!
Registration for the 2026 Rocket City Reed Day is NOW OPEN! Please see the section below.
In addition to our outstanding UAH reed faculty, we are happy to welcome Guest Artists Andrew Nogal (oboe), Dr. Andy Hudson (clarinet), Dr. Joseph Connor (saxophone), and Dr. Ben Roidl-Ward (bassoon). Read more about our guests and UAH reed faculty in the biographies below.
All Rocket City Reed Day participants, along with their parents/guardians, are invited to attend a special performance featuring our Guest Artists and UAH Faculty on Friday, November 13, at 7:30 PM in Roberts Recital Hall. This concert is part of the UAH Constellation Series and is free for Reed Day attendees! A discount code for tickets will be provided to registered participants closer to the event.
Rocket City Reed Day is hosted by Jen Case, Taylor Barlow and the UAH Department of Music.
For more information
Oboes & Bassoons: Jennifer.Case@uah.edu
Clarinets & Saxophones: Taylor.Barlow@uah.edu
Register
To register, fill out the registration form. Registration is required, but will remain open until the event, as long as space allows. Register early to guarantee your t-shirt!
Schedule of Events
If viewing on a mobile device, use the scroll bar to see the complete schedule.
| SCHEDULE | OBOE | BASSOON | CLARINET | SAXOPHONE |
| 9 - 9:30 AM | Registration | |||
| 9:30 - 10 AM | Welcome Concert | |||
| 10 - 11 AM | Oboe Class | Bassoon Class | Clarinet Class | Saxophone Choir |
| 11 AM - 12 PM | Double Reed Choir | Clarinet Choir | Saxophone Class | |
| 12 - 1:30 PM |
Vendors (12:00 - 12:30 PM) |
Lunch @ Charger Cafe (12:00 - 1:00 PM) |
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Lunch @ Charger Cafe (12:30 - 1:30 PM) |
Vendors (1:00 - 1:30 PM) |
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| 1:30 - 2:30 PM | All State Etude Master Class | All State Etude Master Class | All State Etude Master Class | All State Etude Master Class |
| 2:30 - 3:30 PM | Special Topics Classes | |||
| 3:30 - 4:30 PM | Double Reed Choir | Clarinet Choir | Saxophone Choir | |
| 4:30 - 5:30 PM | Vendors | Clarinet & Saxophone Choirs Concert | ||
| 5:30 - 6 PM | Double Reed Choir Concert | Vendors | ||
What to bring
All students are asked to bring their instruments, reeds, instrument-specific accessories, reed-making tools (oboes/bassoons), and a pencil. Please bring a copy of your All-State music and scales to follow along in the class. Music stands and chairs will be provided.
Guest Artists
Andrew Nogal, oboe
Oboist Andrew Nogal is an acclaimed orchestral performer, chamber musician, and interpreter of contemporary music. He is the solo oboist with Ensemble Dal Niente and the Grossman Ensemble as well as Earspace, a collective based in North Carolina. Additional performances include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra.
Nogal has appeared at Bard SummerScape, Lincoln Center, Taproot New Music Festival, Walt Disney Concert Hall, NY Phil Biennial, Philadelphia Orchestra Barnes-Stokowski Festival, Southern Exposure New Music Series, Beijing Modern Festival, Ojai Festival, June in Buffalo, The Banff Centre, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Cabrillo Festival, and the Sydney Conservatorium.
He holds degrees in music performance and art history from Northwestern University and has been awarded top prizes at both the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Darmstadt Courses for New Music. He is an instructor of chamber music at Northwestern University and the Assistant Professor of Oboe at Illinois State University.
Visit andrewnogal.net for more.
Dr. Andy Hudson, clarinet
Performances by Andy Hudson have been praised for “an uncommon singularity of purpose, technical virtuosity, youthful vigor and a mature sensitivity.” An “inspiring” and “fearless” artist, he has performed widely across North America, Europe, and Africa in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings in some of the world’s great venues. Praised for his "measured sophistication and expansive phrasing,"
Andy has won prizes in numerous competitions and was appointed Bass/3rd Clarinetist of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra in 2020; other festival appearances include the Lucerne, Bang on a Can, Hot Air, Sound Atlas, and Great Lakes Chamber Music festivals. He is clarinetist with Miami’s Nu Deco Ensemble and the international sextet Latitude 49, and has recorded widely for the Sony Masterworks, Naxos, and New Amsterdam record labels. His two books on modern pedagogy, “Elements of Contemporary Clarinet Technique” and “SPACE BASS: Advanced Explorations for Bass Clarinet” are co-authored with composer Roger Zare for Conway Publications. Andy is currently Associate Professor of Clarinet at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI, where he empowers a visionary studio of undergraduate artists toward authentic, fearless performance, and he has given guest masterclasses for many of the world’s great conservatories. Andy is a performing artist for Buffet Crampon and Vandoren, and an ambassador for Rovner Products; he holds degrees from Northwestern University (DMA, MMus) and the Schwob School of Music (BMus).
When he’s not practicing, you will likely find him cycling, trail running, cooking, reading, or listening to baseball on the radio.
Visit theandyhudson.com for more.
Dr. Ben Roidl-Ward, Bassoon
Named one of 23 artists “changing the sound of classical music” by the Washington Post, Ben Roidl-Ward has been praised for his “dazzling technique” (The Sydney Morning Herald), “breathless virtuosity” (Bandcamp Daily), and “astounding flexibility and range” (The Double Reed). He is the Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Principal Bassoonist of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Illinois Symphony, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony.
A devoted performer of contemporary music, Ben is the bassoonist of Chicago’s Ensemble Dal Niente and served as a Contemporary Leader and Bassoon Coach for the Lucerne Festival from 2021-2025. Ben’s dedication to working with composers of his generation has led him to premiere over 200 compositions to date. An alum of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Ben received his DMA from Northwestern University studying with David McGill. His previous teachers include Ben Kamins (Rice University), George Sakakeeny (Oberlin Conservatory), and Francine Peterson.
Visit benroidlward.com for more.
Dr. Joseph Connor, Saxophone
Joseph Connor is active as a saxophonist, educator, and collaborator focused on presenting the music of living composers. Joseph has worked closely with composers Evan Williams, Elijah Daniel Smith, Asha Srinivasan, Joanne Metcalf, Elliott Lupp, Nic Bizub, David Werfelmann, Ilan Blanck, John Mayrose, JP Merz, Jasmine Thomasian, and others to create new works exploring the complex and malleable characteristics of the saxophone.
An award-winning soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, Joseph is a Luminarts Fellow, tenor saxophonist of the award-winning Aero Quartet, and has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, Ensemble Dal Niente, Grant Park Festival Orchestra, ~Nois, Sō Percussion, New Earth Ensemble and others.
Joseph serves as Instructor of Saxophone at Lawrence University where he teaches applied saxophone and chamber music.
Visit josephconnormusic.com for more.