Estonian-born Martin Kuuskmann is among the most versatile and engaging bassoon soloists of his generation, with a repertoire spanning the early Baroque era to jazz and contemporary music.  Recent highlights of his performance seasons include world premiere performances of the Eino Tamberg Bassoon Concerto with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and Christopher Theofanidis's recently completed Bassoon Concerto with the Peabody Conservatory Orchestra (both pieces were written for Kuuskmann).  Kuuskmann has recently performed at the Umea International Chamber Music Festival in Sweden, Hamburg Musikfest in Germany and the David Oistrakh International Festival in Estonia.

A member of several New York-based ensembles, he has been widely praised for his performances with the pioneering Absolute Ensemble and can be heard as a soloist on the 2001 recording Absolute Mix (CCn'C), performing Michael Daugherty's virtuosic and madcap concerto Dead Elvis.  A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and Yale University, Kuuskmann's teachers have included Stephen Maxym and Frank Morelli.  He currently serves on the bassoon faculty of the Mannes School of Music and is a visiting lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Music.