Double bassist Matt Heller recently wrote a blog post about a masterclass he observed through an Internet2 broadcast at a New World Symphony event. For those who don’t know, Internet2 is a very high-speed network linking academic institutions (the New World Symphony is classified as such), and it allows for high quality video applications.
Check out Matt’s post for a description of this technology in action. I have never had the opportunity to experiment with Internet2 before, but I hope to be able to do so sometime soon. Former pianist Joshua Nemith also did some work with Internet2 during his time in Miami.
Bass News Right To Your Inbox!
Subscribe to get our weekly newsletter covering the double bass world.
I just thought I would share something about my Internet2 experience while I was at New World, since you mentioned me in this post. The last performance I gave there (in May 2002) was actually a live Internet2 broadcast of myself and a few others playing a few pieces by Piazolla. The concert was aired live to a convention center in Washington, DC, which was seemingly packed with a good-size audience (we had a live video feed back from the event). I don’t exactly remember but I think it was for some sort of technology/broadband conference. At any rate, our performance took place in Lincoln Theatre — which was completely EMPTY outside of the broadcast tech, Howard Herring, and maybe a couple other administration folks.
I think this has some interesting implications for performers. In some ways, it didn’t feel like a “real” performance because there wasn’t the usual “audience vibe” that one gets from the physical presence of people in the hall. But I also felt a little more relaxed, so maybe there are some aspects of this that could be of consequence for those of us who feel higher levels of performance anxiety.
The concert went off successfully, but somehow the applause coming in through the TV speaker didn’t elicit the same sensation I’d usually feel after a performance. Guess it cuts both ways!
It’s good to hear that New World is still playing a leadership role in Internet2 endeavors. Thanks to Matt for his original post and also to you Jason for reminding me of my own involvement in this very interesting technological development. Cheers,
Josh Nemith