CARIN MILLER PACKWOOD

Professional Bassoonist, Professor & Founder of Bassoons Without Borders

Carin Miller Packwood is principal bassoon of the Oregon Symphony, and previously held principal bassoon positions with the Jacksonville and Shreveport symphonies. She has performed recently as guest principal bassoon with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, Portland Opera and Oregon Ballet Theater. Ms. Packwood enjoys collaborating with local chamber groups such as Chamber Music Northwest, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, 45th Parallel, Classical up Close, and the Orca Concert series in Seattle. 

Under the umbrella of the Oregon Symphony Sounds of Home series, Carin recently curated and performed in a chamber music program with commissions from local composers and in conjunction with the Audubon Society of Portland to raise awareness of the impact of climate change. She has had the immense pleasure of performing duets with jazz sensation Wycliffe Gordon as part of her residency coaching with the National Youth Orchestra of Carnegie Hall.

A native of Queens, NY, Ms. Packwood holds a BM from the Juilliard School, an MM from Rice University, and an Advanced Certificate from the University of Southern California. Her teachers include Whitney Crockett, Frank Morelli, Stephen Maxym, and Benjamin Kamins. 

A passionate educator, Ms. Packwood is Adjunct Associate Professor of Bassoon at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as well as adjunct faculty at Portland State University and Reed College. At the start of the pandemic, she founded the international virtual symposium Bassoons Without Borders and serves as its executive director. In addition to curating a robust private teaching studio, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Portland Youth Philharmonic.