Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

We’re getting some good comments about the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra strike situation, including the expected snarky jabs from likely WCO board members and/or staff and some surprisingly unsympathetic comments from patrons. Check this one out, for instance, and read the original post here.

Double bassist Kate Nettleman, a previous Contrabass Conversations guest and a frequent extra musician with the Chicago Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra, has recetly accepted a position as Principal Bass of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. This is exciting news for Kate, and I am really happy that this outstanding musician has been put in place [...]

MYA Saxophone Quartet featured on From The TopThe What’s Cookin’ Saxophone Quartet, made up of Midwest Young Artists members Amanda Peterson, Mira DeJong, Kateri Tumminello, and Joshua Plotner, was recently featured of NPR’s program From The Top. I do a lot of work with this metropolitan Chicago program–I host their weekly podcast at WMYA.fm, and [...]

Classicalmusicnews.tv blogger and Contrabass Conversations co-host John Grillo  just launched an interesting new series over on his blog that profiles the inner workings of the symphony orchestra.  John has played in symphony orchestras across the globe for his entire professional career, including performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony, as well as being [...]

Folks who haven’t checked out National Symphony Principal Bass Robert Oppelt’s website (robertoppelt.com) should definitely take a look.  This wonderful site is filled with resources for the double bass player, as well as some of Robert’s interviews with bassists, an analysis of German bow grips, tips for bassists, and many other excellent resources for the [...]

Contrabass Conversations co-host John Grillo just put up a post highlighting Michael Tilson Thomas (John’s music director during his time in the New World Symphony) and the San Francisco Symphony. John writes:
The San Francisco Symphony led by music director Michael Tilson Thomas will be playing for the first time [...]

This is a post from National Symphony Orchestra bassist Jeff Weisner. Jeff also teaches bass at The Peabody Institute in Baltimore and co-authors the blog PeabodyDoubleBass. Click here for all of Jeff’s doublebassblog.org posts.
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Last week, my orchestra did a big benefit concert with super-famous conductor Christoph Eschenbach, and before and after [...]

ClassicalMusicNews.tv blogger (and regular Contrabass Conversations collaborator) John Grillo recently put out a post featuring the sensational young conductor Gustavo Dudamel.  John features a great video highlight from 60 Minutes.  Check it out! 
More on Gustavo Dudamel >>
John sees this exciting young conductor as a real beacon for the future of classical music, writing:
Given the [...]

Contrabass Conversations frequent collaborator and classicalmusicnews.tv blogger John Grillo continues his Art of the Deficit series this week with a post examining the role that the National Endowment for the Arts plays in the budgets of many symphony orchestras.  John went to a grant workshop for the NEA in 2007 and left with some new [...]

ClassicalMusicNews.tv blogger John Grillo has started a new series titled The Art of the Deficit examining how various orchestras function in the modern world and the sort of missteps or miscalculations that frequently get these organizations into financial hot water. Thinking about the recent financial crisis and organizational meltdown in the Jacksonville [...]