In sixth grade, Amanda Rutkowski was hand-picked as a potential oboe or bassoon player after proving her skills with the alto saxophone.

“I tried the oboe, and it sounded like a dying duck,” said the Southern Regional sophomore. “So I went with the bassoon, and it had a pretty good tone the first time I tried it. I loved it right away.”

Making the conversion from a single-reed to a double-reed instrument wasn’t too difficult for Rutkowski, and by the time she reached the high school level, she…