Rick Barrantes Agüero is the Principal Bassoon and Board President of the New Jersey Chamber
Orchestra. He holds teaching positions at the University of Pennsylvania, The Music School of
Delaware, and Temple Music Prep. A 1st Prize Winner of the COFCAM Püchner Bassoon
Competition, he has played as a soloist with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra, New
Jersey Chamber Orchestra, Delaware Youth Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Sinfonia, GGS
Chamber Orchestra, Youth Orchestra of Guatemala, and University of Costa Rica Symphonic Band.
Additionally, he serves as Assistant Conductor with the University of Pennsylvania Symphony
Orchestras and Temple University Symphony Orchestra. He recently conducted at the Mostly
Modern Festival, leading multiple world premieres with the American Modern Ensemble and
Mostly Modern Orchestra.
An avid orchestral player, he regularly appears as a guest bassoonist with the Buffalo
Philharmonic Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster
Symphony Orchestra, and Second Ending Ensemble. He has previously played with the APEX
Ensemble, Symphony in C, Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Niagara
Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica. During the summers, he
has appeared as principal bassoon with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra
(Switzerland), AIMS Festival Orchestra (Austria), Brevard Music Center Institute, Sewanee Summer
Music Festival, and Youth Orchestra of Central America (Panama).
Passionate about music education, he previously served as bassoon teacher at the Interlochen
Arts Camp, The Philadelphia Orchestra All-City Fellowship, Guaranda International Music Festival
(Ecuador), SiNEM/El Sistema (Costa Rica), School of Symphonic Music of Pérez Zeledón (Costa
Rica), and ANC Young Music Camp (Panama). He has presented guest masterclasses at The Glenn
Gould School (Canada), the University of Delaware, the University of the Pacific, Temple University,
and the National Music Conservatory (Honduras).
He earned degrees from the National Music Institute of Costa Rica, The Glenn Gould School at the
Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada), and Temple University. Currently, he is finishing his Doctor
of Musical Arts at Temple University, majoring in bassoon performance and minoring in orchestral
conducting. His main bassoon mentors include William Short, Danny Matsukawa, and Glenn
Einschlag; and conducting mentors include JoAnn Falleta, José Luis Domínguez, Kensho
Watanabe, and Thomas Hong.
