Daris Hale is a musician with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the Austin Lyric Opera and is a founding member/bassoonist/choreographer with the Wild Basin Winds quintet.   When she is not challenging classical music traditions and symphonic dress codes, she loves teaching music and humanities to students at Texas State University and performing/touring with the faculty ensemble, Trio 488.   Some of her other professional musical exploits include performing symphonies in Austria, quintets in Argentina, operas in Italy, trios in England, and most rewardingly while on her Fulbright, African songs in Tanzania.  Daris enjoys championing the new works of composers by producing concerts and albums featuring their compositions. 

In Tanzania, she was able to collaborate with East African composers from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to write the music of their ethnic traditions for American classical musicians in order to produce the world premieres in the composers’ homeland.  Daris is also a music contractor for film and TV shows such as the nationally televised PBS music education series, The Biscuit Brothers.   Her bassoon performances can be heard on numerous itunes albums, soundtracks, commercials, television, and approximately 85+ live concerts per year.  She has two insanely adorable kids and a loving husband—all of whom agreed to follow her to Africa as long as she promised to follow them home.