Kevin Schilling and Lynn Zeigler have been performing together since 1975. Eventually they named their duo Basically Baroque. The ensemble later expanded to include additional regular members, most notably Rebecca Stuhr, baroque flutist, and Mary Pshonik, baroque cellist, who played with them for several years, as well as invited guest artists who have joined in their performances.  Although baroque music is a special love of theirs, the ensemble’s repertoire actually covers the baroque through contemporary periods and their concerts present a variety of styles and instrumental combinations. When the instruments are available, Lynn Zeigler performs on organ and harpsichord and Kevin Schilling plays oboe, baroque oboe, English horn, and bassoon.

The duo has performed throughout Iowa with financial support of the Iowa Arts Council, as well as in Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and Germany; and at two conferences of the International Double Reed Society. They have presented demonstrations for school children in various communities including a week-long residency in Dubuque, Iowa.

Kevin Schilling

Kevin Schilling attended Carleton College and holds a BA degree from the University of Southern California. He earned at Indiana University an MM degree and was the first to earn the DM degree in oboe performance.  His document for the DM degree was a study in rhythmical analysis of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.  He studied oboe with Carl Berglund of the then Minneapolis Symphony, William Criss, former principal oboist with the New York Metropolitan Opera, and Jerry Sirucek, formerly with the Chicago Symphony. 

Dr. Schilling studied bassoon at Indiana University with visiting professor William Waterhouse of the BBC Orchestra, London, and attended master classes with Milan Turkovic, of the Vienna Philharmonic. He studied baroque oboe at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Baroque Performance Institute and the Albuquerque Double Reed Workshop. He has studied or attended master classes with Grant Moore, James Caldwell, Stanley King, Gonzalo Ruiz, Marc Schachman, and Washington McClain.

Dr. Schilling is an Associate Professor of Music at Iowa State University where he teaches oboe, bassoon, theory, and chamber music.  In addition to his college teaching, he has an avid interest in helping younger players.  To this end, he teaches pre-college students, many of whom become members of the Iowa All-State Band or Orchestra, acts as a consultant to Iowa band directors by giving clinics and workshops, and being available for problem solving with the difficult double reed instruments. When time permits, he distributes oboe and bassoon reeds to band directors and double reed players throughout the state.

Dr. Schilling is a member of the Des Moines Metro Opera orchestra. After two years as principal bassoon in the Central Iowa Symphony (Ames), he became principal oboe in 1997. He has substituted as principal oboe and principal bassoon with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony and has served as principal oboist with the Des Moines Symphony. He is a free-lance performer on both oboe and bassoon, and can be heard on both instruments on the CD, Notes from Iowa, with colleague Lynn Zeigler, organist. He has performed baroque oboe with the Telemann Society of the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire; at the University of Northern Iowa; in a performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis; in a series of solo recitals in California; in the Baroque Orchestra of Iowa, including a solo appearance in its inaugural concert; with the Lyra Concert, a baroque orchestra residing in Minneapolis; in a recording of Handel's Messiah released by Narada Records, and was a soloist at Northwestern University in a commemorative concert at Millar Chapel.

Lynn Zeigler

Lynn Zeigler holds an organ performance degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she was a student of David Boe and Fenner Douglass. Ms. Zeigler holds the Masters of Music degree from Northwestern University where she studied with Grigg Fountain. After two years of study with organist Lionel Rogg at the Conservatory of Music in Geneva, Switzerland, Ms. Zeigler was awarded the Premier Prix de Virtuosité, the highest performance degree given in Europe. Lynn Zeigler has attended master classes with several noted organists: Werner Jacob, Flor Peeters, Luigi Tagliavini, and Harold Vogel.

Lynn Zeigler has won several first prizes in European organ competitions and makes concert tours throughout Europe including The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. Ms. Zeigler has performed on three separate occasions in Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii. Ms. Zeigler has appeared on Eurovision (European television) and has made numerous recordings for Dutch, Swiss, Danish and Norwegian radios. She is heard on American radio and on Minnesota Public Radios's well-known "Pipedreams." She gives concerts, workshops and master classes throughout the United States and Europe and serves as an adjudicator for organ competitions.

Lynn Zeigler recorded eleven organ and harpsichord pieces for a music history textbook, The Development of Western Music, A History by K Marie Stolba. She has recorded for Raven Records, Organ Historical Society, organ music of various periods and styles, and a compact disc of various periods and styles on the 1987 organ of John Brombaugh at Iowa State University. She has also recorded the complete organ version of Johann Sebastian Bach's Art of Fugue, a double compact disc. Lynn Zeigler has recorded a compact disc, Notes from Iowa, featuring organ music of the 20th century.

As a Professor of Music at Iowa State University, Ms. Zeigler teaches organ, harpsichord, and music theory. She plays continuo in The Lyremar Trio which includes Baroque flute and gamba and has recorded sonatas of Marcello for CD. Lynn Zeigler organizes two guest organ recitals and a monthly organ recital series at Iowa State each year. She is also organist at the Bethesda Lutheran Church in Ames. Ms. Zeigler teaches privately encouraging those

Interested in improving their skills so that they might better serve their churches.

Lynn Zeigler has devoted much of her research to writing a book on the organ and musicianship geared to informing the non-trained church organist.

Ms. Zeigler received the 1998 Liberal Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity from Iowa State University.

Basically Baroque

Chamber Music Society Fairfield appearances:

05-04-2008 Oboe, Bassoon & Harpsichord