Q&A: Reaching The C

Ursula Leveaux is a leading chamber musician, currently the bassoonist of London’s Nash Ensemble and Principal Bassoon with City of London Sinfonia. This year, she is branching out with her own Fringe solo show, Reaching The C, and we are delighted that Ursula has taken time to tell us all about it.

Hello Ursula, at the point where we are chatting, there are currently 387 music shows listed on the Edinburgh Fringe website – but only two mention a bassoon in their listings. Doing something so original has got to play well at the Fringe?

You would hope so, wouldn’t you?! Although for the same reason I suspect “Bassoon” isn’t likely to be a commonly used search word on the Fringe website!

However, it is also true that Fringe audiences are famously open and curious so we travel hopefully!

You are frequently invited to appear as guest principal with major orchestras and ensembles in Britain and throughout Europe – what was the inspiration to do this solo show?

I wanted to create a theatrical performance piece as a way of connecting with audiences that are not necessarily concert goers. Something flexible and self contained that I could take into any venue or environment.

The show has its origins in an award I was given by the City of London Sinfonia- the orchestra’s strap line is “Music and…“ which says it all really.

And why the Edinburgh Fringe?

Well you can refer to the last part of my answer to your original question! But I have visited the Edinburgh Fringe quite regularly since I was very young and also lived and worked for many years in Edinburgh as a member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra so the Fringe has always been a place to discover new things.

Are you able to give us a hint about the show’s intriguing title, Reaching the C?

Well, if you pay attention to the show, the reason for the title does become clear, particularly at the very end – but I do also enjoy the double meaning, depending on whether you just hear the title or see it written down!

The show is a mixture of folk, baroque, and blues. How do you set about choosing which pieces you will play in a 45-minute show? Do you choose your favourites? Or match them to a theme?

The music is, in many ways, a character in the show but it also serves to illustrate the story, a bit like the pictures in a story book. I feel that the music chose itself and most of it has a particular meaning to me and my life. Some of it is written by friends and other pieces are by composers that I love to play. I’ve included a couple of pieces by Henry Purcell, a 17th Century composer and the original master of the loop!

As well as set pieces, there is also going to be improvisation. How will that work within the show?

I use a loop pedal throughout the show. I use it to underpin the script, to provide the bass line for some of the composed pieces but also as a tool for improvisation. A friend once said to me that improvisation is composition speeded up but I also love the way it allows you to respond spontaneously to the feeling of a particular moment. Every show will be a unique event. All the music you hear, including the loops, is created live on stage.

We should say that Reaching The C isn’t only a concert – it’s a show, with a script, that explores the way music can be woven through life using personal experience. Can you give our readers an example of this?

I would say that Reaching the C isn’t a concert at all but a theatre piece, a story with music.

Of course, it is a very personal story- in the show I speak of what music means to me and what I love about it and the bassoon is very much a partner in the telling of the story. However, I do also feel that the show speaks of something more universal than just music itself. If that doesn’t sound too cryptic.

How did you first get started playing music? And was bassoon always the instrument for you?

Now, those are both questions that you need to come and see the show to get an answer to!

Frank Zappa once said, “The bassoon is one of my favourite instruments… It has a medieval aroma”. Would you agree with that?

I didn’t know that Frank Zappa said that! Obviously, the bassoon is one of my favourite instruments too, it has many different characters and voices and can be so expressive which is why it is such a good storytelling partner.

Medieval aroma? I think I get what he means. The modern bassoon does have a long history; it has developed from something much more primitive over the centuries and I would agree that every instrument carries the voices of its ancestors with it!

You first performed Reaching The C at Theatre by the Lake in gorgeous Keswick. What kind of reactions have you had from audiences – and did putting it in front of an audience change the show that you’ll perform at the Fringe?

That first performance, which was a shorter work-in-progress version, was an extraordinary experience – the event included a Q and A with the audience, but one in which I had to start by asking three questions from them! The audience was given the opportunity to answer the questions in writing so I got some amazingly helpful feedback to take away with me. I have to say I was completely floored by the positive response I got that evening and it was from there I got the courage to develop the show into a longer piece and now to bring it to the Fringe. The Theatre by the Lake has been incredibly supportive all along which has also encouraged me.

The Fringe ticket buyers tend towards the vast array of comedy and drama, but adding a music-based show to their itinerary can often be a really lovely thing to do in Edinburgh. Why should people come and see Reaching The C at theSpace @ Symposium Hall?

Going back to that Q and A in Keswick, one of the questions I asked the audience that evening was to describe the piece, or their response to it, in just three words. Here are some of those answers and I reckon they express better than I could why people should come to show:

“Riveting, contemplative, moving”

“Beautiful, thought-provoking, unique”

“Relatable, soulful, gentle”

“It made me smile, sorry that’s four!”

Another good reason is that my show is on at 4.10pm and will be over by 5pm which I think is perfect time to have a cup of tea beforehand and a glass of wine afterwards before heading off your next show!

And lastly, you are performing six dates this year. What are you personally looking to get out of being part of Edinburgh Fringe 2026?

Yes, six dates, exciting and daunting in equal measure! By the end of that week, I’d love to feel that I could have managed more performances – rather than the reverse – and that the show has entertained and moved at least few people.

Above all I want to enjoy being part of such a huge and amazing event – and learn a few things along the way!