A dynamic performer and educator, bassoonist Nanci Belmont has been praised as “outstanding” by New York Classical Review. She is the Second Prize winner of the 2016 Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Competition of the International Double Reed Society and is a Performing Artist for Leitzinger Bassoons. Nanci has appeared as a concerto soloist in New York City on multiple occasions, including performances of the Strauss Duett Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon and the Gubaidulina Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings. Trained and experienced in teaching artistry and community engagement, Nanci aims to cultivate meaningful relationships and relevant musical experiences through performance. Recent solo engagements include guest artist recitals at Montclair State University, University of Memphis, and performances for the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium and multiple International Double Reed Society Conferences.

Chamber music is an integral part of Nanci’s career, and she is frequently invited to collaborate at chamber music festivals and series throughout the United States. She is a member of The City of Tomorrow, a wind quintet dedicated to the performance and expansion of contemporary repertoire. The City of Tomorrow recently released their second album Blow on New Focus Recordings, featuring works by Franco Donatoni, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Hannah Lash. From 2012-2014 Nanci was the bassoonist with Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW)– a Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute. A proponent for the music of our time, Nanci is active in the commissioning of new works for bassoon and also frequently collaborates with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Argento Chamber Ensemble, and Talea Ensemble.

As an orchestral musician, Nanci has performed with many of the major ensembles in New York City, including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and New York City Ballet Orchestra. Additionally, she has worked with the Charleston, Princeton, and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestras. Memorable international experiences include performances and recording of Peter Grimes in the United Kingdom for the Benjamin Britten Centennial as a part of the Britten Pears Festival, and a European tour with Ensemble intercontemporain in collaboration with the Lucerne Festival.

In her role as an educator, Nanci strives to cultivate curious, lifelong learners in music. She was recently appointed as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Louisiana State University, and previously served on faculty at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. Nanci has has presented master classes at a variety of colleges and universities across the country..