Affiliate Artist, Bassoon
Brittany Harrington is a versatile bassoonist, dedicated educator, and creative performer whose artistry and innovation have earned her wide acclaim. The Dallas Morning News praised her playing, writing, “Special praise goes to Brittany Harrington’s gorgeously intoned, eloquently shaped bassoon solos.” She currently serves as Affiliate Artist/Faculty at the University of Puget Sound and is a Performing Artist for the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle. An active freelancer in the Pacific Northwest, Brittany performs regularly with ensembles including the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Music Ensemble, The Sound Ensemble, and other leading regional organizations. In 2025, she appeared as principal bassoonist with the Bellingham Music Festival, and in 2024 she spent the summer performing with the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon. Brittany is also a member of the newly formed quintet Wind Advisory, whose mission is to use music as a force for community impact and social good. The ensemble performs a wide-ranging repertoire with an emphasis on making the classical canon accessible and relevant, while partnering with local organizations to support meaningful causes.
Brittany is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet, an ensemble celebrated for its imaginative blend of classical music, pop culture, and genre-defying performance. Comprised of four women wielding bassoons—often joined by kazoos, melodica, and whatever else happens to be nearby—the quartet explores the creative frontier while sharing humor and joy along the way. They became a viral sensation in 2011, which launched them to international recognition, leading to performances and masterclasses across the US, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Thailand, and Spain, along with features on NPR and MTV. The quartet has recorded multiple albums and continues to build a global audience, with nearly 4 million views on YouTube.
In addition to her performance career, Brittany is a passionate and influential educator. She serves as a coach and private teacher with Cascade Youth Symphony Orchestra and Orca Concerts, and she is a frequent guest clinician and masterclass teacher for schools and youth ensembles throughout the Seattle area. Drawing from her wide-ranging performance experiences, Brittany is deeply committed to bridging the gap between traditional classical training and creative, student-driven music making. She fosters environments where young musicians feel empowered to explore, take risks, and find their own artistic voices—believing that imagination, collaboration, and curiosity are essential to developing expressive, confident performers.
Beyond ensemble work, Brittany is an active soloist, recording artist, and arranger, with a growing catalog of published bassoon arrangements and transcriptions that expand the instrument’s repertoire and accessibility. As a Fox Sponsored Artist, she is dedicated to pushing artistic boundaries while maintaining the highest level of musicianship, always seeking new ways to make music engaging, expressive, and deeply connective.