Bio:

Christopher Sales joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bassoonist in 2018 and sits in the Emalee Schavel endowed chair.  He has also held Principal Bassoon positions with the Calgary Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras.  The position was left open by his former teacher at CCM, William Winstead.

As a soloist, Christopher has showcased his virtuosity in concerto performances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra among others, as well as the Aspen and Eastern Music Festivals.  “It was a treat to hear the range of what is possible on this instrument,” “moving with the music, he achieved it all with an appealing effortlessness and beauty of tone,” from the Cincinnati Business Courier.  

Sales has played with many other institutions over the years including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Bellingham, and Aspen Music Festivals, among others.  He is also an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Cincinnati - College Conservatory of Music.

Reed Making Insights:
I have left the area that will become the first 10 mm of the tip of my reed relatively thick in this profile. This is to facilitate a gouge amendment either with Lou Skinner's Windsor Mill, or sand paper. Before folding, I mark from where I intend to make the tip, three 3mm increments. I use the mill to scrape between the measurements 3-10 times each depending on the hardness measurement of the cane. This creates a terrace from 9mm-6mm-3mm from the tip. This can also be done with sand paper, but is not as accurate.

Circular blades to amend the gouge have been used since the baroque era, and I believe creates a very warm sound when coupled with a standard scrape at the tip. Also, by using a hardness tester, amending the gouge allows the reed maker to customize the gouge to allow them to play closer to the bark of soft cane and closer to the pith of hard cane. In short, it allows the reed maker to use a wider variety of cane densities.

Please note that this GSP cane is gouged at 1.3 instead of 1.2, and may be soft if scraped without amending the gouge.