The Tianjin Juilliard School is pleased to announce the appointment of distinguished artist and educator George Sakakeeny as resident bassoon faculty. Beginning September 2026, Sakakeeny will teach in the Graduate Studies program and Pre-College. He has shaped generations of musicians through decades of teaching, and brings exceptional artistry, knowledge, and experience to Tianjin Juilliard.
It is with great anticipation that we announce the appointment of George Sakakeeny as the bassoon faculty commencing Fall 2026. He will bring vast experience from many years of collaborating with major orchestras and teaching in prestigious academic institutions. Many of his students now hold high-ranking positions as faculty and musicians in organizations such as the Curtis Institute, Eastman School of Music, Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, NCPA Orchestra in Beijing, Hangzhou Philharmonic, among many others. We are thrilled to welcome this distinguished pedagogue and artist to our vibrant Tianjin Juilliard community.
Katherine Chu
I am beyond excited to join the eminently exceptional faculty at Tianjin Juilliard. This bold, relatively new venture by The Juilliard School is in a place where I have already done extensive teaching, and where I have a close-knit network of illustrious former students. I have dedicated my life and career to raising the artistic standards of bassoon playing worldwide. To continue this work in Tianjin, with both international and Chinese students, under the banner of Juilliard, will be one of the most exciting opportunities and challenges of my career.
George Sakakeeny
Internationally recognized artist and teacher George Sakakeeny has served as professor of bassoon at the Eastman School of Music for the past decade, following 27 years in the same role at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He has also been artist faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School and served as guest bassoon faculty with Venezuela's El Sistema for seven years. Sakakeeny also served on the faculty of the Interlochen Arts Academy and Arts Camp for 13 years. He has taught master classes at leading institutions worldwide, including the Paris Conservatory, Rice University, Tokyo University of the Arts, and The Juilliard School, and has held longer-term residencies at the Shanghai Conservatory, the Central Conservatory of Music, The Tianjin Juilliard School, Seoul National University, and Lyon Conservatoire National Supèrieur de Musique et Danse. He also holds the Guest Professor title at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Sakakeeny has held the principal bassoon positions with numerous orchestras worldwide, including the New Japan Philharmonic, the Opera Company of Boston, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, and CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra. He also served as principal bassoonist of the Aspen Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the New Hampshire Music Festival, and the Peninsula Festival. More recently, he has been serving as visiting guest principal bassoon of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and acting principal of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
As a soloist, Sakakeeny has performed with various orchestras on more than 50 occasions. Three major works for bassoon and orchestra were composed for him: Libby Larsen's full moon in the city (2013), Peter Schickele’s Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (1998), and Alexander Blechinger’s Fagottkonzert (1997).
Sakakeeny's numerous solo recordings include Blechinger’s Fagottkonzert, the Villa-Lobos Duo with oboist Alex Klein, and four modern works for bassoon and orchestra, entitled full moon in the city. These recordings and others are distributed by Spotify, Apple Music, and Naxos. He is the author of the iBook, Making Reeds Start to Finish with George Sakakeeny.
Learn more about George Sakakeeny, here.