Victoria Donaldson

Victoria is a bassoonist whose primary interests lie in building community through chamber music, exploring the limits of her instrument with contemporary repertoire, and helping her students grow into well-rounded musicians.

One of Victoria’s favorite parts of being a musician is the joy of getting to play chamber music with her close friends. Victoria spent four years with her undergraduate bassoon quartet and lifelong friends, pH4, before moving on to be a part of the University of North Texas Center Woodwind Quintet. As a member of the Center Woodwind Quintet, Victoria was a finalist in the 2023 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition and the 2024 Coltman Chamber Music Competition, as well as a quarterfinalist in the 2024 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Victoria’s passion for chamber music has granted her some wonderful opportunities, including becoming a guest artist at the Saarburg International Chamber Music festival and becoming a part of thenlike?now, a bassoon and percussion duo that prioritizes collaboration with living composers and exploring the range of their instrumentation.

As a new music advocate, Victoria won a Creativity in Music Award from the University of South Carolina for her part in establishing the Ears Wide Open series, which brought new music to different parts of the USC campus. Victoria has also interned with the Southern Exposure New Music Series, a series championing contemporary artists and composers and bringing them to the University of South Carolina, as well as Sounds Modern, a new music collective that brings adventurous contemporary music to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Outside of performing, Victoria maintains a private studio in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Her teaching philosophy comes from her experience with performance anxiety and the life lessons she learned in music school. While working on technique and fundamentals, her students are also taught the importance of having pride in making beautiful music, rather than focusing on the few minutes in an audition room.

Victoria received her Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance with a concentration in chamber music from the University of South Carolina and Master of Music in Bassoon Performance with a related field in contemporary performance from the University of North Texas. When not bassooning, Victoria can be found taking endless photos of her cat, Raymond.