About

Dr. Brisa de Paula currently serves as second bassoonist with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and is the newly appointed second bassoonist and contrabassoonist with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony (wcfsymphony). As a sought-after musician, she regularly performs as substitute bassoonist and contrabassoonist with various regional orchestras in the Midwest. Most recently, she performed as substitute principal bassoonist with Orquestra Sinfônica de Santo André in Brazil. Additionally, she was invited to perform as principal bassoonist with the Sinfónica Azteca 2023 under Paolo Bortolameolli, former associate conductor of the LA Philharmonic. 

An experienced and multifaceted musician, Dr. Brisa de Paula performed extensively in Europe, where she was sought after for consistency, artistry, and dedication, performing regularly with orchestras such as Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken/Kaiserslautern, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Bremer Philharmoniker, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Philharmonie Südwestfalen, Münchner Bach Orchester, among others. She took time away from Europe in 2011 to assist the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, the most prestigious orchestra in South America, where she was the acting solo contrabassoonist and second bassoonist. As an avid chamber musician, in 2012 she had the distinction of being invited to participate as a member of the Zermatt Festival-Chamber Music and Academy with the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berliner Philharmoniker in Zermatt, Switzerland. During her residency in Zermatt, she performed more than a dozen concerts alongside members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to her substantial background in orchestral performance and chamber music, she performs regularly as a recitalist in the United States with pianist and physician Warren T. Goodman. Their live and unedited performances are available on YouTube.

Dr. de Paula has served as Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon at the University of Cincinnati/College-Conservatory of Music, teaching alongside the legendary pedagogue, William Winstead, as Assistant Adjunct Professor of Bassoon at the University of Northern Iowa, and as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Western Illinois University. Throughout her teaching career, Dr. de Paula has given masterclasses at universities across the Midwest, as well as numerous clinics for pre-college students.

​She earned a Master's Degree, as well as the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Bassoon Performance with an emphasis in musicology from the University of Cincinnati/College-Conservatory of Music, where she was the Bassoon Teaching Assistant. She also holds an Artist Diploma in Bassoon Performance from the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Saarbrücken, Germany. She is a 2023 and 2025 Bassoon Fellow of the OAcademy Orchestra Institute under the mentorship of Simon van Holen, solo contrabassoonist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Her principal teachers include William Winstead, Gernot Friedrich, and Marc Engelhardt. Her musical training also includes masterclasses with Klaus Thunemann, Georg Klütsch, Helman Jung, Christopher Millard, Daniel Shelley, and Gustavo Nuñez.