Marko Bajzer Faculty Profile

Marko Bajzer is a Croatian-American composer, visual artist, bassoonist, administrator, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

COMPOSITION
Bajzer has written for a variety of media, including wind ensemble, orchestra, chamber music, voice, and electronics. His works have been performed by such ensembles as the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble, the CCM Brass Choir, the CCM Chamber Players, San Francisco Choral Artists, Yerba Buena Brass Quintet, Splinter Reeds Quintet, the Blue Lake Festival Band, and others.

Bajzer is the 2022 Artist-in-Residence at Lassen Volcanic National Park, where he was commissioned to write an orchestral work depicting the park, called Lassen Awakes! This will be the first of a large multi-movement work entitled From Sea to Shining Sea; a Musical Journey through America’s National Parks, depicting scenes from national parks across the country. Lassen Awakes! will be performed in May 2023. His primary teachers include Mason Bates, Dan Becker, Douglas Knehans, and Joel Hoffman, with additional studies with Samuel Adler, Derek Bermel, Ellen Harrison, Michael Fiday,  and David Schneider. He is currently a Lecturer in Music Theory and Composition at California State University - East Bay.

Bajzer earned his Bachelor of Music in music composition from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, He obtained his Master of Music degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and has participated in several summer programs, including the Upbeat Summer Music Festival in Milna, Croatia; and the Bowdoin Music Festival at Bowdoin College in Maine.

BASSOON
Bajzer is also an active bassoonist and contrabassoonist. As a chamber musician, his passion stems from sharing with the audience works that are obscure but high-quality. He was an Artist-in-Residence with the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center for the duration of the program, where he was the 2nd bassoonist in Symphony Napa Valley. Previously he was the principal bassoonist of the Austin (MN) Symphony Orchestra and the Mayo Clinic Chamber Symphony Orchestra. He has also subbed with ensembles across California, including the Modesto Symphony, North State Symphony, Travis Air Force Band of the Golden West, Vallejo Symphony, Elevate Ensemble, Mercury Soul, and others. Bajzer was a featured soloist with the Rochester Chamber Music Society and the Mayo Clinic Chamber Symphony Orchestra, performing the final movement of Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major K. 191 with the latter orchestra. Bajzer earned his Bachelor of Music in bassoon performance from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music; He also appeared as the bassoonist in the short film, Philharmonia Fantastique, the Making of the Orchestra. His primary teachers include William Winstead, John Miller, Martin James, and Jennifer Welch; with additional studies with Arthur Weisberg and David Oyen.

TEACHING
It is important to Bajzer to enable others to participate and enjoy music as well as to educate future generations of musicians. Bajzer has taught music from preschool through graduate students, currently teaching music theory and composition at California State University - East Bay. He has furthermore taught at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and KIPP College Preparatory School in San Francisco; Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati; the Rochester Catholic School District in Rochester, Minnesota; and in the Napa Preschool District. Bajzer earned his Bachelor of Music in music education from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. Additionally, he offers private lessons on bassoon, and theory/ composition.