Derek Schraufstetter is a rising senior at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music studying under the tutelage of Thomas English. Prior to attending college, Derek served as Principal Bassoon of the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra and participated in two NYSSMA All-State conferences as well as the NAFME All Eastern conference. Derek has now been Principal Bassoon of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble since 2021, including two performances in the university’s well known Bach Festival. Derek is also an avid chamber musician, performing many core chamber works under the direction of Daniel McKelway of the Cleveland Orchestra. As a bassoonist and contrabassoonist, Derek has performed with many professional orchestras, including the Ashland Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Firelands Symphony, and the Canton Symphony. In March 2024, Derek successfully auditioned for and won the position of Bassoon 3/Contrabassoon in the South Bend Symphony, for which he will begin his duties in the Fall of 2024. In the summer of 2023, Derek attended the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina where he studied under Gabriel Beavers. In the summer of 2024, Derek will attend the Chautauqua Music Festival where he will study with Jeff Robinson. Other teachers who have guided Derek include Julia Paine, Glenn Einschlag, and Jonathan Sherwin. After graduation, Derek plans to continue into graduate studies for bassoon and continue his quest for the perfect reed. In his free time, he enjoys collecting vinyl records, vintage clothing, and pondering the great mysteries of musical history.