Tatia Slouka is a bassoonist looking to break beyond the bounds of the traditional classical music canon, connect with people through music, and explore the sound capabilities of her instrument. Born and raised in Colorado, USA, she is now based in Weimar, Germany. Tatia plays both modern and baroque bassoon and has a special interest in contemporary music, as well as early music. While the two areas stand on opposites sides of the historical spectrum, there is a shared element of freedom and discovery within both. As an artist, Tatia strives to always seek new paths and explore new ways of connecting both to music and to audiences. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary projects that work to combine various art forms in ways that are relevant to today’s society. Her most recent project, projected to take place in the summer of 2026, aims to connect contemporary music and visual art through a feminist lens.

As a performer Tatia has played concerts throughout Europe, the United States, and South America.

She has played with orchestras such as the Randers Kammerorkester, Vogtland Philharmonie, Kammerakademie Halle, Eastman Philharmonia, Musica Nova Contemporary Ensemble, and many summer festival orchestras including those at the National Orchestral Institute 2021/2020, Sarasota Music Festival 2019, American Institute of Musical Studies Graz 2019, National Youth Orchestra USA 2017, National Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Music Institute 2016, and Brevard Music Center 2015.

Tatia is also a very active chamber musician in the Weimar area and plays in a variety of different settings including bassoon and accordion duo, wind quintet, and trio d’anches. Throughout her bachelor’s she was a member of the Barbershop Wind Quintet, Trio Divertissiment, and Eastman Harmonie. All three groups performed regularly in the Rochester area.

On historical bassoon she performs Renaissance music with the Weimarer Gambenconsort, as well Baroque music in other chamber and orchestral settings.

In 2021 Tatia was a prize winner in the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition.

Tatia is additionally interested in folk genres, especially Yiddish and Eastern European music. She has spent the last two summers engaging with Klezmer music and similar folk styles at the Yiddish Summer Weimar (YSW) Festival. In 2024 she was a member of both the YAM Ensemble and Caravan Orchestra at YSW where she had the opportunity to work with renowned musicians of the genre and collaborate in a musical/cultural exchange with other young people from Germany, Greece, Turkey and Israel.

Tatia is currently pursuing her Master of Music in modern bassoon at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar where she studies with Frank Forst. In May of 2022 she completed her Bachelor of Music at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York studying with George Sakakeeny. Up until her bachelor’s, she studied with Roger Soren in Colorado.  

On the baroque bassoon and dulcian she has worked with Giovanni Battista Graziadio, Györgyi Farkas, Marjatta Beuck, and Frank Forst.