Donez Horton-Bailey with his bassoon, in Europe. Photo: Petr Dyrc
Donez Horton-Bailey is a Ph.D. student in the Frances Hellman Lab. He is also a bassoonist for the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra.
I started taking piano lessons in the fifth grade. I went on to try saxophone, trombone, upright bass, bass clarinet. In high school, I saw a bassoon in the band’s instrument locker, so I took it home and taught myself the basics.
It has a really weird fingering system. There are 13 thumb keys, for example. I’m a Ph.D. student — I love learning — and with the bassoon there’s an infinite amount of things to learn.
I’ve been playing with the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra since 2018. I’ve been on two tours in Europe with the orchestra — in 2022 and in May 2025. It was a good opportunity to get to know a lot of people in the orchestra better. At home, we’re in rehearsal until 10 p.m., then we want to go home. But in Europe, we got 10 days to explore the cities together.
Photo: Petr Dyrc
We always play our best, but in Europe, it felt like, “Wow, you’re here to see us?” I was excited to play for them, to show them that American orchestras can play classical music well, too. At one of our concerts, we had a dinner afterwards in a big cafeteria with audience members and every time a member of the orchestra came in, they applauded and cheered for us.
I always say I've been a musician way longer than I've been a physicist. Music is what I go to when I'm stressed, when I need a break from science. It’s so important for clearing my head. Turns out getting a Ph.D. in physics is really hard.
After I earn my Ph.D., I’d like to try to stay with the Symphony Orchestra for as long as I can. There are several community members who play with us — one viola player has been with the orchestra for over two decades. I definitely see myself being a musician for the rest of my life.