Shawn Karson is the Second Bassoonist with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, as well as Contrabassoonist with Central Texas Philharmonic, and Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, and The Florida Philharmonic. He has regularly appears in the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Savannah Philharmonic, The Florida Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Lexington Philharmonic. Shawn has been involved with organizations such as Miami Ballet, National Music Festival, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and Miami Music Festival, as well as Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra in London, United Kingdom where he served as Guest Principal Bassoonist.
A devoted teacher, Shawn private lesson instructor and masterclass presenter a large private studio of students in and around the Central Texas. He has serves as Bassoon Faculty with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Contrabassoon Specialist with Bocal Majority Operation Oboe, and Woodwind Section Coach with the Central Texas Youth Philharmonic.
A native of Fort Myers, Florida, Shawn holds a Master of Music in Bassoon Performance at The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the Florida State University College of Music. His primary teachers include Kristin Wolfe Jensen and Jeff Keesecker.
