Fei Xie

Fei Xie joined the Minnesota Orchestra as Principal Bassoon in 2017 after serving as principal bassoonist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble he first joined as second bassoonist in 2008. He was the first Chinese-born bassoonist to hold a principal position in a major American symphony orchestra. He has also performed as a member of the Houston Grand Opera, principal bassoonist of the Mansfield Symphony in Ohio, and guest principal with the Houston Symphony and Baltimore Chamber Orchestras. Xie made his concerto debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in performances of Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto and he has performed at many summer festivals including Festival Mozaic, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra and Music Academy of the West. In 2010, he was a finalist and prize-winner at the International Double Reed Society’s Gillet-Fox competition. An avid educator, Xie has taught at conservatories and festivals throughout the U.S., China and Brazil. He has served on the faculty at the University of Maryland and was the bassoon coach for the inaugural season of the NYO-China (National Youth Orchestra of China). He holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory and a master’s degree from Rice University. Xie’s parents and uncle are renowned Peking Opera musicians, and his primary teachers and influences are bassoonists George Sakakeeny and Benjamin Kamins.