Watching Laura McIntyre play her bassoon is like watching a woman in love dance with the one who brung her. She throws her head back; half closes her eyes, and coaxes beautiful music from her gleaming instrument. She plays. They waltz. And as the music envelops her audience it is almost impossible to tell where the bassoonist begins and the bassoon ends. McIntyre is the featured performer with the Mid-Texas Symphony Sunday, February 8 at 4pm at the Performing Arts Center at Canyon High School in New Braunfels. The vibrant 25-year old is the winner of the 2014 Mid-Texas Symphony’s Young Artist Competition in Winds. The 31th annual competition attracted a total of 30 candidates from universities and schools of music all across the United States. Although the candidates themselves are from other parts of the country and even the world there must be a Texas connection to compete. “She is absolutely fabulous,” says Mid-Texas Symphony’s Vice President of Education, Jack Linden. “Any one of the finalists could have taken first place; they were all that good. But Laura is a performer. She was the hands-down winner.” Professional musicians themselves, the three YAC judges agreed any one of the finalists could have taken the win but McIntyre’s expert musicianship and flawless performance catapulted her to the top. “I think all musicians have a passion inside of themselves for their music,” McIntyre said. “Letting your passion for the music out and letting your audience see your passion; that’s when it becomes a performance. I want to know my music so well, and feel so rehearsed I don’t have to worry about anything but making sure I can share my passion from the inside. I love performing,” she says, “and hopefully, helping people see the beauty in life. I am so excited to play with the Symphony in February.” Even though as young musician who had never heard of the bassoon she chose it because as she candidly admits, “I was not very good at making sounds with other instruments.” The bassoon presented a number of challenges in the beginning, McIntyre says, “When I first started playing I had trouble reaching the keys because my hands were too small.” And choosing an unusual instrument also meant a 45 mile drive, one way, for lessons from her rural hometown. Fourteen years of lessons, thousands of hours of practice, hundreds of classes, three colleges in three different states, countless competitions, and four major recitals later finds McIntyre in her second year of study pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, and preparing for the future. “Right now, I am teaching and doing research on beginning bassoon instruction. I’d really like to build a studio in Austin that focuses on teaching beginners at a very high level. I also,” she says with a smile, “plan on performing both solo and with chamber groups and orchestras.” “Laura displays an amazing technical virtuosity, a lovely musical approach, and a wonderful sense of confidence. You will want to see her perform,” says Maestro David Mairs, Director of Music for the Mid-Texas Symphony. As she works towards the completion of her doctoral degree, continues teaching her young charges, and dreams of she and her bassoon traveling the world; Laura McIntyre prepares to astound the Mid-Texas Symphony audience with her beloved bassoon. Tickets are on sale now for the Mid-Texas Symphony’s concert, featuring Laura McIntyre on bassoon, Sunday, February 8th at 4pm, Performing Arts Center, Canyon High School, New Braunfels. Call 830.372.8089 or online www.mtsymphony.org.