Performances and Premiers
“California Dreaming…” Bert Turetzky, Mark Dresser, Kristin Korb, Rob Thorsen, Marshall Hawkins, Bob Magnusson and Danny Weller appeared in concert together in San Diego, CA, on June 1st at Dizzy's downtown, prompting a feature article in the San Diego Union-Tribune on the event and San Diego’s active and talented double bass community. Dresser and Thorsen will teach at the sixth annual University of California-San Diego Jazz Camp, June 22 to 28, which is open to adults and teenagers 14 and up, from beginning level to advanced.
Marco Quiñones, the Mexican bass soloist, will perform Paul Ramsier’s Eusebius Revisited with the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, in Toluca, conducted by Leopoldo Miravete in early December 2007. Quiñones and his wife, pianist Patricia Miravete, have presented five all-Ramsier programs in different Mexico City halls during the past year. On October 27 they performed another all-Ramsier program at Carlos Chavez Hall to enthusiastic audience response. This program included Eusebius Revisited and Divertimento Concertante, plus Road to Hamelin and Low-Note Blues, which were narrated in Spanish by Edurne Rodriguez, age 15.
Diana Gannett was guest artist for the fourth annual Semana da Musica
Festival in Ouro Branco, Minas Gerais, Brazil in October. Nearly 20 bass
players came from across Brazil to take lessons with her. "Diana was the
high point of the festival in many ways," says Dr. Valdir Claudino,
professor of bass at the Casa da Musica in Ouro Branco and her former
student. "Her presence here in Brazil at the festival gave us the
opportunity for in-depth sessions on technique and musical issues. We
especially loved seeing how beautiful this instrument can sound. Of course,
we know that it is not that easy, but in her hands, the notes smile, making
everyone rethink what might be possible." Her recital included Schumann's"Fantasy Pieces," Bottesini's "Lucia Fantasy" and Anthony Stoops' "Red River
Valley Fantasy."
To view film footage of the recent ISB convention at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music featured on Oklahoma Public Television, go to www.oeta.onenet.net/%7Egallery/Monitor/Monitor.html and click on the bass scroll on the right.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in Auckland premiered a new work for double bass and orchestra, Whalesong, by Anthony Richie, a New Zealand composer who has also studied in Europe. It was performed by Dale Gold, the former principal bassist with the orchestra. Originally from the USA, Dale has been in New Zealand for 30 years. Whalesong takes its inspiration from the song of the humpback whale, and phrases from its distinctive song are incorporated in the music. To listen to Whalesong, go to www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/20070715.
Welcome to the Hong Kong Double Bass Society, our newest bass club. Contact the president of the society, Stephen Yam, at info.hkdbs@gmail.com.
Ju-Fang Liu, principal bass of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, performed a recital at DePauw University (Indiana) on March 12, 2007. Her program included the Mizek Sonata in E minor, the Tubin Concerto, and “Song of the Grassland” by Bao-Yuan Zhang. DePauw professor of bass Greg Dugan joined Ju-Fang to play “Tango” for bass duo by Vinicio Meza, and to premiere a new work by fellow ISO bassist Peter Hansen, “Travels: Mood Studies for Two Basses.” Ju-Fang will perform the Tubin Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra on February 29, and March 1, 2008.
On January 21, 2007 the North Port Symphony (Florida) conducted by Sasha Von Dassow, programmed Paul Ramsier's Eusebius Revisited, with bass soloist Jerome Butler. On January 11, WGHB (Boston) aired Dan Styffe's recording of Eusebius, the second commercial recording of this work. During 2006, Ramsier's Divertimento Concertante had five public radio broadcasts in New York, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. His Sahara Rainforest, Mark Morton's Eusebius recording, Bicycle and The Grand Bass Gavotte were aired as well.
The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas made its much-anticipated Lincoln Center debut on Thursday, June 8, 2006 at 8 PM in Alice Tully Hall, led by the young Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra. The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, formed to champion the work of composers and performers of the American continent, presented the world premiere of Venezuelan composer Paul Desenne's Concerto for Double Bass, played by another classical music star from Venezuela. The double bass soloist was Edicson Ruiz, the youngest musician to join the Berlin Philharmonic in its 124 years.
John Kennedy recently gave a recital at the Northminster Presbyterian Church in Troy, Michigan, performing a program of works by Rossini, Tom Knific, Clark Suttle, Bottesini and Koussevitzky on the famous Karr-Koussevitsky Bass. For more information on this instrument, contact the Internatonal Society of Bassists.
Pianist Robin Goldsby, wife of ISB member, jazz bassist John Goldsby, was in New York recently promoting the paperback release of her book, "Piano Girl: Lessons in Life, Music and the Perfect Blue Hawaiian." A chapter was excerpted in a recent issue of Bass World. While in New York she was interviewed for Marian McPartland's public radio program Piano Jazz, and met with Henry Steinway, retired president of Steinway and Sons. Robin will give a book reading and piano concert at Steinway Hall in New York City on Tuesday, June 27th.
Marcos Machado, double bass professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg, will be giving the South American premiere of Frank Proto's "Nine Variants on Paganini" for double bass and orchestra. The concert will be on July 25th with the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra in Brazil. Machado gave also the South American premiere of Proto's "Carmen Fantasy" in 2003.
Forum Neues Musiktheater of Stuttgart State Opera will premiere the latest music theatre work by Stefano Scodanibbio, "Il Cielo Sulla Terra," on June 1, 2006, at 8 p.m. For two Dancers, fifteen children, ten instrumentalists, video, and electronics, "Il Cielo Sulla Terra,"provides a cross section of aesthetic and political revolutionary currents, from the trailblazers Marx and Rimbaud to Breton, from the Beat generation to those of 1968 and 1977. For more information, go to website http://www.fnm.de.
ISB member and Bass World editor Andi Beckendorf performed a bass solo at a ceremony for 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai. The environmental activist was here in the U.S. to give the opening plenary address of the 18th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Luther College in Decorah, IA on March 10. The prestigious event, is the Norwegian Nobel Institute's only such program or academic affiliation outside Norway.
Three major PBS classical radio stations recently broadcast Paul Ramsier’s landmark Divertimento Concertante on a Theme of Couperinfor doublebass and orchestra. Divertimento was premiered in July, l965, by Gary Karr with Seiji Osawa conducting the Chicago Symphony. It has had more than 150 performances with orchestra, and many hundreds in recital. The work celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2005. Gary Karr recorded Divertimento with the Louisville Orchestra in l983, along with Ramsier’s Road to Hamelin. This recording was remastered in l997, and the resulting CD is available from Albany Records, (Troy 237)
Bassist and composer Tuomo Haapala of Sweden recently performed music from his critically acclaimed CD Sonic Poems: Music for the Deep Violin at a concert in Stockholm for an enthusiastic audience. For his efforts as an "untiring and original bassist and composer," he has received the Cultural Grant from the County Council in Sormland. Sonic Poems was selected as one of the best albums of the year by the major newspaper Dagens Nyheter in Sweden.
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Recent Happenings
Listen to a live interview with Louisiana Philharmonic principal bassist
David Anderson, as he discusses his orchestra, post-Katrina New Orleans, and
the Louisiana Philharmonic's premiere of jazz trumpeter Terrence Blanchard's
song cycle "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)." Blanchard was
inspired in part by his mother's experiences and Spike Lee's documentary,
"When the Levees Broke."
ISB past president Tom Knific and the Western Jazz Quartet, which includes drummer Tim Froncek, an ISB favorite for eight consecutive conventions, recently returned from a two-week artist ambassador tour in Slovenia and Croatia sponsored by the U.S. State Department. They performed in venues that included night clubs to town squares, entertaining thousands along the way. Formed in 1974, the Western Jazz Quartet promotes jazz music and education through an active schedule of recording, tours, concerts and educational workshops.
Catalin Rotaru, professor of bass at Arizona State University and chair of the solo division for the 2007 ISB Double Bass Competition, was recently interviewed by the Phoenix Art Space magazine. It’s an interesting journey from his days as a young bass student in his native Romania to his current status on the faculty of a U.S. school of music. To read the complete interview, go to www.phoenixartspace.com/viewarticle.php?ID=127.
As part of the Paterson (New Jersey) school district's observance of Black History Month during February, Rufus Reid returned to Rosa Parks High School of Fine & Performing Arts this week to conduct a master class for music students and perform a concert with his band. "The music itself was founded here in America by black people and it's now permeated the world," says Reid. "This music and creativity knows no color. It's a national treasure." A noted composer and educator, he is currently an artist in residence at the University of North Texas. Reid will premier a much-awaited four-part suite entitled "Quiet Pride," which was inspired by the work of sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, at the University of Connecticut in March.
The 9th Rocky Mountain Classical and Jazz String Bass Festival was held Saturday, October 21, 2006 at the University of Colorado College of Music, Boulder, Colorado. Over 30 bassists gathered for a long, action-packed day of technique classes, master classes, rehearsals, a concert by festival participants’ Monster Bass Ensemble, and a recital by Paul Erhard. The three clinicians for the festival were Ken Harper, assistant principal bass, Colorado Symphony, Susan Cahill, bass section, Colorado Symphony, and festival director Paul Erhard, professor of double bass, University of Colorado College of Music. Bass players are a special family.
To see the older high school and college-aged bass players gather round to help and encourage the youngest participants, a 5th grader and two 6th graders, says it all! To see details of the festival, including photos, and for information about upcoming double bass events in Colorado, visit http://amazingbass.colorado.edu
Volkan Orhon, assistant professor of double bass at The University of Iowa School of Music, recently played host at the 3rd Annual Iowa City Bass Day. If you didn't make it to Iowa, you can still buy the great t-shirt from Iowa City Bass Day, designed by the ISB's favorite artist, Scott Sund. Lots of styles and colors! To purchase, go to www.cafepress.com/icbass.
The Suzuki Association of Utah sponsored a week of Suzuki Bass Book 1 Teacher Training in January, led by Virginia Dixon. Trainees were Nicoline Asberg from the Netherlands, David Bowen, Devon Colby, and Alexander, Anthony and Denise Willey, all from Utah. The week culminated in the SAU Bass Festival on January 28 and included masterclasses, group classes, orchestra classes, and bass orchestra taught by Phil Lowry, David Yavornitzky and Virginia Dixon. Four Suzuki Bass Teacher Training courses are scheduled for the summer. Dan Swaim will present Book 1, June 9-16, at the Northern Arizona University Suzuki Institute in Flagstaff. Contact Kristine Ehlis at 480/730-9339 or go to www.nau.edu/suzuki. Virginia Dixon’s Book 1 course will be held at the Colorado Suzuki Institute at Beaver Creek, June 18-25. Go to www.coloradosuzuki.org or call 303/399-5764. Virginia’s Book 2 course this year will be given in her home studio outside Chicago in Elgin, IL, August 2-6. Email virginia@elmhurst.edu or call 630/629-2860. Book 3 will be presented at the American Suzuki Institute at Stevens Point, Wisconsin, August 6-11. Go to www.uwsp.edu/cofac/suzuki or call 715/346-3033.
A photo of the noon ensemble forum at the latest ISB convention is featured in the December newsletter of the Amateur Chamber Music Players, Inc. The ACMP Foundation was a sponsor of the ISB convention's third biennial ensemble forum in 2005. To read more go to www.acmp.net, and click on "News and Publications," then scroll down and click on the December issue.
Jerry Fuller hosted Northwestern University dean of music Tonie-Marie Montgomery and a number of Chicago area double bass performers and educators for a "passing of the key" ceremony for Northwestern's new professor of bass, Daxun Zhang, who won the 2001 ISB solo competition among many recent honors. Greg Sarchet, who has served as interim bass professor for the past three years, was on hand to welcome Daxun to the faculty position. Greg will continue to teach in his own private studio and at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. (Pictured, Greg Sarchet, left, and Daxun Zhang.)
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