Michelle Fletcher

Michelle Fletcher is a bassoonist and contrabassoonist from Mesa, Arizona pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts: Performance degree at Arizona State University (ASU) with Dr. Albie Micklich. She previously received her MM in Bassoon Performance from ASU and her BM in Bassoon Performance from Brigham Young University. Her primary teachers and mentors include Drs. Albie Micklich and Christian Smith, as well as Doug Brown, Erik Ludwig, and Andy Bunch.

As a soloist, Michelle appeared with the BYU Wind Symphony on their Australia concert tour in 2018, as well as with the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019. Her recording contributions include full albums with Broadway star Lea Salonga (2019) and Australian Broadway star Patrice Tipoki (2021), as well as the documentary soundtrack to Max Steiner: Maestro of Movie Music (2021) and the premiere of Kevin Day’s Concerto for Wind Ensemble on contrabassoon with the ASU Wind Ensemble (2022).

In addition to holding the position of Instructor of Bassoon at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and maintaining a private studio in the Phoenix area, Michelle currently holds the principal bassoon positions with Arizona Millennial Choirs and Orchestra (MCO) and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. She can regularly subs with both professional and local Arizona groups, as well as with other branches of MCO throughout the United States. She has performed at multiple international and national conferences, including the International Double Reed Society Conference, the National Flute Society Conference, the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium, and the International Tuba and Euphonium Association Conference.

She enjoys studying film scores and soundtracks as well as performing in orchestra pits for opera and theater productions, and is fascinated with music cognition. Offstage, Michelle reads fantasy novels, is an amateur pianist and organist, and enjoys game nights and time spent with friends and family.