Jiffy Reeds is owned and operated by me, Jessica Findley Yang (JFY…get it? ;). I live in St. Paul, MN with my husband Chris, three-year-old son Oliver, and our two cats Pepper and Chips. I love to read cookbooks and try new recipes, wander through thrift stores, take slow walks through our neighborhood looking for mushrooms, and play the bassoon and make bassoon reeds!

I have over 15 years of reed making experience, and I’ve been a freelance professional bassoonist the past 12 years. I received my Masters in Bassoon Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2016, and I have studied bassoon with Nathaniel Zeisler, Maya Stone, Eric Stomberg, William Winstead (1943-2020, RIP), and Marty Garcia.

I am currently Principal Bassoon in the Minnesota Opera, and I was previously Principal Bassoon in the Central City Opera in Central City, CO. Previously, I have held tenured Second Bassoon positions in several professional orchestras including Lansing, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. I also served as Acting Principal Bassoon in Knoxville from January - May 2020. I’ve played as a substitute bassoonist with many major symphony orchestras, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony, New World Symphony, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, and many other regional groups in the Midwest. I have also been invited perform at a few professional summer music festivals, including the Shippensburg Festival in PA, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra Summermusik, and most recently in 2024, the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, MN.

I attended several summer music festivals while in school, including Texas Music Festival (I won their Concerto Competition in 2013), Castleton Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and Festival Napa Valley. I also won my undergraduate concerto competition, performing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with the KU Symphony Orchestra in 2013. I was awarded Second Place in the 2016 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, and was a semi-finalist at MQVC in 2014.

I currently serve as the bassoon instructor at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN, and I have previously held the same position at both Xavier University in Cincinnati and the University of Tennessee Knoxville. I have also been invited as a guest artist and lecturer to collegiate bassoon studio classes and Double Reed Days, including UMKC, University of Arkansas, University of North Texas, University of Florida, and UC-CCM to provide masterclasses on reed making and give recital performances. While in school at CCM, I was the bassoon studio’s Graduate Assistant and taught the freshman bassoonists Mr. Winstead’s method of reed-making twice a week for two semesters.

Additionally, I have 14 years of bassoon teaching experience at the middle and high school level, primarily in the Cincinnati and Knoxville areas. My former students have been accepted to All-State, the Cincinnati and Knoxville youth symphonies, the Cincinnati Symphony Nouveau Program, and one is even a current student at Eastman!

PHEW! In short, I’ve got a lot of professional playing and teaching experience, and I hope that is obvious in the quality of my finished reeds and blanks. I take great pride in ensuring each blank and finished reed are up to my professional standards. I have combined various reed-making techniques from all of my mentors and teachers over the years to create a truly excellent product, and I hope you enjoy playing on Jiffy Reeds!

I started Jiffy Reeds in order to be able to work from home and stay connected to what I love (bassoon!), while still having the privilege of caring for our son. I work on Jiffy Reeds during my son’s naptime, while he’s in daycare, and after bedtime, so if orders pile up there might be a short delay in shipping as my reed work-hours are limited. I appreciate your patience and promise that any wait will be worth it!