Second Species

Hannah Hammel, flute

Ben Roidl-Ward, bassoon

Second Species is an ensemble committed to exploring the sonic and expressive capabilities of the flute and bassoon duo by working closely with living composers in the development of new works and sharing this music with a broad range of audiences across the country. As students at the Oberlin Conservatory, Hannah Hammel and Ben Roidl-Ward founded Second Species in 2015, making their debut with the world premiere of Kurt Isaacson’s carnal species. This season, the duo expands its repertoire with commissions from Theo Chandler, Jesse Limbacher, and Rob Hutchinson. Second Species will perform these works in six cities on tour in spring of 2016 in addition to Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’ mysterious and evocative Bachianas Brasilieras No. 6 and Chris Fisher-Lochhead’s ground-breaking grandFather for solo amplified bassoon.