I just got a copy of the most recent issue of Double Bassist magazine, and a quote from my San Jose audition story starts out an article that they did on auditioning. It’s an honor that my story would be chosen to start this great article. The main body of the story focuses on several prominent orchestral double bassists, including Paul Ellison (Rice University, former Houston Symphony principal bassist), Rinat Ibragimov (London Symphony principal bassist), Orin O’Brien (New York Philharmonic bassist), Zachary Cohen (Milwaukee Symphony principal bassist), Peter Riegelbauer (Berlin Philharmonic bassist), and Caroline Emery (Royal College of Music bass instructor).
Auditioning is a complicated and tricky thing, and getting advice from successful orchestral musicians is essential in order to succeed. This is a great article full of great advice, and if you don’t subscribe to Double Bassist, head down to your local bookstore (both Borders and Barnes & Noble carry the magazine here in the States) and pick up a copy. It’s a classy magazine full of great articles for double bassists and well worth the price.
Passing along advice from double bassists who have found success in the music world is also the main focus of Contrabass Conversations, and future shows will focus of the nitty-gritty of audtioning.
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Congratulations for being quoted on Double Bassist magazine. 🙂
Thanks! It’s a good article with some excellent interviews with orchestral bassists.
It was interesting how the article mentioned an “unspoken” rule in Germany of not hiring players over the age of 35 due to pension plan issues. I wonder if such a bias exists in America? Regardless, congrats on the quote. Keep up the great work here, I really enjoy this blog.
I don’t think that this bias exists in the U.S. I know many musicians in their late 30s that won their first orchestral audition. I do think, however, that probably most jobs are won by people under 30. This is certainly the case in the double bass world.
The Germans and how they think!!
“Auditioning is a complicated and tricky thing, and getting advice from successful orchestral musicians is essential in order to succeed.”
why “orchestral musicians” are so arogant???
more then one got success without orchestra and how come this players are much more interesting then the rest of the “orchestral musicians”??
Fact – orchestral musicians, they used the orchestra to get PR, its the most easy thing to do as a newcomer, why not to build your name on your own like G. Karr, Gajdos or even Guy Tuneh???
its good that they call themself “orchestral musicians”!
and not just “musicians”!!!
and one more thing:
Every one knowes that orchestra is the start of the end….
on more real hard practice… and other things…
people who have been there know about what i speak!
so, go on, comment back and low!!! even if you know that i’m right!!
they know that its complicated and tricky thing,
So
why they act like they are the best?? (like they play better…)
they play in a way that fits to what an orchestra is/needs,
a big machine!!!
and why they think that they do have success??
like to stop by all way the newcomers!!
success=to hard working and not hiding under a Title!!
or your Pult/section mamber!!
In case of E. Ruiz its clear: good playing
P. Riegelbauer: never hearded him solo. (why he isnt out there…?), and Mr. Ibragimov: after his “Performance” in Youtube, i’m sorry for him…
How come that the real Bass-heros are not speaking all the time like this gang A.K.A “orchestral musicians”,
the real Bass-heros are just going and playing and never arogant in any way!!!
To all of the Great “orchestral musicians” :
Go, go and hear the interview of Guy Tuneh, you may learn how to recpect people!! (if you would understand what he speaks about)
its good to know that the real thing, think and do in other way!!
Everyone who is in that biz knows how “Circus” Auditions
can be!
No one knowes the 100% way how to win it!
and for all the “heros” in that Magazine (they know that today they dont have chance to win one, the Markt is full with some AMAZING players, who dont realy need luck but also dont get the chance because of the same “heros” who dont even tray to “Help”, but playing the game of giving tips in the magazine – two side faces!!!)
“orchestral musicians” :
stay hush and practice the bass and try to stay on the Markt level of bass playing, dont hide!! (& dont atack people like Badila, Gajdos or Tuneh – they are very few, from your kind we have so much, like 100 in every orchestra)
After looking around even the players who did Academie with the best orchestras still not all of them have a place or won an audition, so… dont put more oil in the fire f**kers!!!!!!!!
its like the snake is getting crazy from him self!
I would be more intrested in how Performers like Gary Karr, M. Gajdos and Guy Tuneh did it without an “Orchestra” on back??
Ya great!
To get advice from people who play like students!.
Get a life!!
Admin, i think that performers like Karr, Gajdos, Tuneh, Rutaru,
Badila, Guettler “did it” because they have a unique way of playing, special “light” on stage, even without the PR/Title of an Orchestra they will still “shine”.
with or without money they will go on – for them its the music
important, to stand on stage! (this is why you will never see Gajdos or Karr with finger in the nose while playing concert –
something that i saw so many times in Orchestral performances, its the little things…)
Imagine, let us take bassist like Guy Tuneh, its bassist (with spirit of violin player) + Conductor + Opera-singer + actor,I dont think that he has a place in orchestra(“normal” orchestra), maybe in Orpheus Chamber Orchestra or an Ensemble of Solists.
It would be Just Crazy to put Gajdos in orchestra, he will not have time to do the things that makes him so special.
Gary Karr was the first “in our time” to show what is real bass playing – thanks God he got the freedom to do so, in orchestra he would never have the time (& the right spirit) to do so!!
Art need freedom, the same as some players, one is for sure:
Gajdos, karr, Tuneh etc, are working very hard for what they do!!
Its good to know that the bass world is getting a HUGE change,
Orchestra playing is not any more the only way of using the Bass today, thanks people like Karr, Gajdos, Guettler, Pruner from the “old” solo school and “new” faces like the Great Badila, Rutru, Furtok, the one and only Patkolo and the phenomenal Guy Tuneh, we have the chance to try to go through the doors that they opened and still opening for us! (and for the bass).
we need both, the people who practice the tradition,
and the people who make tradition!!!
Max.