Bassoonist Avery Dabe sought to broaden access to Heckel bassoons with the launch
of Heckeldex in 2021. Since then, the database has collected information on over
600 instruments and gained worldwide recognition among bassoonists.
The continued success of Heckeldex would not be possible without,
• Information and concept from Mike Frederick's original Heckel bassoon gallery
• Serial number history from Heckel and from Edith Reiter’s book
• Startup help and design from Camden Spehl and Drew Dabe
• Funding from studies with Michael Harley
• Inspiration from Ken Potsic, James Kopp, and James Burton's Eastman dissertation on graphing the bassoon bore
Avery Dabe is a freelance American bassoonist. He was previously acting Second Bassoon of the New Mexico Philharmonic, and performed with the Utah Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Opera Southwest, and the Anchorage Symphony during his time in the Southwest. Recently he was a regular substitute musician with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and performed with the New World Symphony for their 2026 season opener. Avery held fellowships at the Spoleto Festival USA, National Repertory Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, and the Sarasota Music Festival. His playing can be heard on Apple Music Classical as principal bassoon of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, as well as principal bassoon in the 2025 Olga Kern International Piano Competition.