Bret Pimentel
Photo, Bob Brussack

Woodwind artist Bret Pimentel performs on the five major woodwind families (saxophone, flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon) and a variety of ethnic and folk instruments. His current and recent performing groups include the UGA Wind Ensemble (principal oboe, English horn, clarinet, bassoon, and contrabassoon), the UGA Jazz Ensemble (lead alto saxophone), the Georgia Double Reed Ensemble (oboe, oboe d'amore, bassoon) the UGA Graduate Saxophone Quartet (tenor saxophone), and Countdown to Ecstasy, a Steely Dan tribute band (saxophones/flute).

Bret's varied career has included performances as a backing musician for Dave Brubeck, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the King's Singers, The O'Jays, Ed Calle, Kelly Eisenhour, and more; as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician; as a pit musician for stage shows; as a jazz musician in large and small groups; and as a member of world fusion group Xenos.

World premieres include seventy times seven (by Daniel Bradshaw, 2005) for woodwind soloist playing flute, oboe, contrabass clarinet, bassoon, alto and baritone saxophones, and pennywhistle, with electronics; and Traptalk (by Neil Thornock, 2004) for alto saxophone and harpsichord.

Bret's teaching experience includes private instruction at Clemson University, Brigham Young University, the Athens School of Music (Georgia), the Crescent School of Music (Utah), Busker's Music (Bakersfield, California), and Smith-Holden Music (Bloomington, Indiana), and classroom instruction at the University of Georgia.

Academic

Bret is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in multiple woodwinds performance (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone) at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. He is a graduate teaching assistant with the UGA jazz program and the UGA band department. He holds a Master of Music degree from Indiana University in multiple woodwinds performance with a cognate field in jazz studies (2005), and a Bachelor of Music, cum laude, in saxophone performance from Brigham Young University (2003). Bret studied at BYU on a National Merit scholarship.

Click here to see Bret's curriculum vitae.

Click here to see some of Bret's distinguished teachers.

Personal

Bret Pimentel lives in Athens, Georgia, with his wife, Leslie. They were married in August 2007. Both are doctoral students at the University of Georgia.

Besides his musical pursuits, Bret enjoys reading, computers, and cooking.

From 1998 to 2000, he served as a volunteer missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, assigned to the New York, New York South mission. He worked in neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island.

Click here for some of Bret's favorite web sites.