Far East Champaign

In addition to his appointment as Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois, Timothy McGovern is currently Principal Bassoonist with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and Illinois Chamber Orchestra. He is also a current member of the Prairie Winds Woodwind Quintet. For seven years he was Associate Principal Bassoon of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Principal Bassoon of the Montreal Symphonette and McGill Chamber Orchestra. He has also been a faculty member at Indiana University, McGill University, the University of Delaware, and St. Cloud State University. He attended Northwestern University and the University of Michigan. His bassoon teachers included L. Hugh Cooper, Sherman Walt, Willard Elliot, Wilbur Simpson, and Ronald Noble.

Professor McGovern has performed with the Chicago, Boston, Toronto, Delaware, Grant Park, Chicago Opera Theater, and was Principal Bassoon of the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, among others. He has performed with many legendary musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Cecilia Bartoli, Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leonard Bernstein, Sir Neville Marriner, Charles Dutoit, and Seiji Ozawa. He has recorded approximately 30 CDs of diverse orchestral and chamber music repertoire with London/Decca and other recording companies. Recent recordings include “Turbulent Winds” and “Gale Force” with the Prairie Winds Woodwind Quintet. Professor McGovern released a new CD in 2015 with pianist Cara Chowning and oboist John Dee, called “Music From America and Abroad”. He was the Overall Winner of the Performers of Connecticut International Solo Competition. The following year he was named the Co-winner of the East/West Artists International Solo Competition in New York City. He is the recipient of two Tanglewood Fellowships.

Professor McGovern has performed at numerous national and international conferences and festivals, on many public radio and television programs, at numerous universities throughout the United States, and on chamber music series in 30 of the 50 states. He performed his New York City solo recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1987. Tours with orchestras and chamber groups have taken him throughout North and South America, Europe, and the Far East. Robert Sherman, in a The New York Times review, said, “Timothy McGovern is quite an extraordinary talent. His playing was indeed consistently musical and compelling: It had expressive warmth, a natural feeling for line and phrase and, when needed, amazing agility.”