Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

Drew McManus has been puting out the 2007 Compensation Reports on his blog Adaptistration over the last several days. In this survey, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ISCOM) and Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA) executive director, music director, and concertmaster compensation is analyzed against a variety of other factors, including base [...]

This is a guest post by double bassist Jean-Yves Bénichou. Benjy is bi-national, being a citizen of both the United States and France. He has lived in France for the past 30 years and has been a member of the Strasbourg Philharmonic since 1985. He studied double bass at Temple University with Edward Arian [...]

ArtsJournal blogger Greg Sandow wrote a recent post about the Dakota Chamber Orchestra and the South Dakota Symphony, both mentioning Music Director Delta David Gier and providing a link to musical examples from a recent Dakota Chamber Orchestra performance from this past April.
I was a member of this orchestra from 1991-1994, which was a great [...]

Bass blog contributor Benjy sent me a link to this feature from the New York Times website. It is a Flash movie documenting some of the new and innovative concert hall designs being commissioned from various architects. Very well done and very interesting.
Related Posts:

Strollin’ Down the River - post from Benjy
Remembering Jean Cros [...]

Drew McManus wrote a thought-provoking post regarding internal conflict within the American Federation of Musicians on his blog Adaptistration recently. This post outlines a proposed .10 percent work dues increase for AFM musicians. The most recent work dues increase (.05 percent) occurred in 2003, with the proposed goal of improving project and staff [...]

Contrabass Conversations guest and bass blog contributor John Grillo is playing principal bass for The Princeton Festival, a summer music festival that opens this Saturday(6/23/07) with a performance of Bizet’s Carmen. John has mentioned that the singers and staging are superb, so this is definitely a performance to check out if you happen [...]

This interesting story from Polyphonic.org ties in well with my thoughts and observations on future directions for the music business covered in Road Warrior Without an Expense Account Part X - Refocusing (Musical Entrepreneurship). You can find this complete series (and dozens of other long-form essays) under my new Articles link above the post [...]

Drew McManus wrote an interesting post recently on his blog Adaptistration concerning the current labor situation in the San Antonio Symphony. San Antonio Symphony musicians have authorized a strike if there is no new agreement in place to replace their current collective bargaining agreement (expiring at the end of the summer).
Some [...]

Drew McManus wrote an excellent post recently on his blog Adaptistration detailing how increased governmental funding would alter the outlook of orchestral budgets in the United States. This post has a great deal of relevance to my Road Warrior Without an Expense Account series, particularly Part III (The Rise and Fall of the Full-Time [...]

Adriel Bettelheim sent me this recent Denver Post obituary for former Colorado Symphony bassist David Potter. David was a well-loved bassist and teacher with former students in all corners of the country. Boston Symphony bassist Benjamin Levy is quoted in the following obituary from the Denver Post.
A Colorado Life
Bassist a dedicated, “incredible” teacher
By [...]