- State: Illinois
- Private School
- School Website
- Map Link
Bass Faculty:
Andrew Anderson
Jon McCullough-Benner
Zachary Cohen
John Floeter
General Statistics
- US News Ranking: #115 (tie) in Regional Universities Midwest
- US News Overall Score (out of 100): 47
- Tuition & Fees 2016-17: $28,119
- Room & Board 2016-17: $12,927
- Total Enrollment: 5,352
- Acceptance Rate (from 2015): 72%
- Student – Faculty Ratio: 11:1
- 4 year graduation rate: 24%
- % of undergrads receiving Financial aid: 75%
- Average Financial Aid: $7,000
Double Bass Statistics
- Average number of undergraduate bass students: 8
- Average number of graduate bass students: 2
- Studio Class, Orchestral Repertoire Class
What Alumni Are Doing
- Jonathan Stefaniak, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra
Perspectives from the Bass Faculty
Q: What are some of your favorite experiences teaching at your school?
Jon: Helping each of my students accomplish their individual goals and continue their musical paths!
Check out Chicago College of Performing arts faculty members Andrew Anderson and Jon McCullough-Benner at the 2017 Chicago Bass Festival:
About The Bass Faculty
Andrew Anderson
Andrew Anderson performs in nearly 150 concerts every year and teaches over a dozen students of all levels each week. Andrew Anderson is a member of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic, and performs regularly with Music of the Baroque. He has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Columbus Symphony, and New World Symphony. He has held positions in twelve different orchestras across seven states, serving as principal bass in four of them.
Andrew enjoys teaching positions at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and The Wheaton Conservatory in addition to his private studios in Northwest Indiana and at the String Academy of Chicago in downtown Wheaton, Illinois. Information on Andrew’s studios can be found at: andersonbassworks.com
Andrew studied string pedagogy with Robert Culver at the University of Michigan, and low string pedagogy at Indiana University with Helga Winolt. Andrew often appears as a sectional coach at DePaul University, the Elgin Youth Symphony, the Chicago Youth Symphony and Midwest Young Artists, and for nearly a decade has been a coach for the Elgin Youth Symphony’s Chamber Music Institute. Andrew has supported public school music programs with benefit recitals in and around his hometown of Portland, Oregon. From 2011 to 2014 Andrew started a before school string ensemble at Westminster Christian School in Elgin, Illinois where he volunteered as the director.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Michigan, a Master of Music Degree from Indiana University, and served as a doctoral teaching fellow at the University of North Texas.
Jon McCullough-Benner
Joining the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as its Principal Bass in 2017, Jon McCullough-Benner is an avid performer and educator for the double bass. Coming from a musical family, his father is a former pianist, his brother played guitar and piano, and his grandmother was a former member of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus. Jon started studying music at a very early age on the piano prior to picking up the violin, drum set, guitar, bass guitar, and eventually the double bass.
A native of southwest Ohio, Jon studied with Mark Barnard and Cincinnati Symphony Principal Bass Owen Lee before beginning his undergraduate studies at University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music with Albert Laszlo. During his time at CCM, Jon also attended the Spoleto Festival in Italy as well as performing with the Aspen Festival Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from CCM in 2013, he continued his studies at Indiana University under the tutelage of L.A. Philharmonic’s former Principal Bass Bruce Bransby. Jon was also an Associate Instructor of the double bass at IU, teaching non-major bassists the fundamentals of playing the instrument.
Before beginning with the Milwaukee Symphony, Jon served as Principal Bass for the Oregon Symphony Orchestra beginning in 2015. Jon has also performed with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, and the Cincinnati Symphony. In the summer months, Jon serves as the Assistant Principal Bass for the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra.
Jon plays on an unlabeled Italian bass from the Brescian region, c. 1810.
Zachary Cohen
Zachary Cohen, a native of the Bronx, won the position of principal bass of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in his senior year of Juilliard at the age of 22. Cohen received his Bachelor of Music from Juilliard where he studied with legendary bassist Homer Mensch. During his summers Cohen has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, and The Dresden Musikfestspiele. As an active chamber musician Cohen has collaborated with a wide range of artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, Midori, Mark O’Connor and members of the Guarneri and Mendelssohn quartets. He has also worked closely with some of today’s most respected composers such as Henri Dutilleux, Osvaldo Golijov, and Mario Davidovsky. While attending Juilliard, Cohen became a member of the chamber group ‘The Knights.’ He has recently recorded two albums with them on Sony Classical.
John Floeter
John Floeter is currently Principal Bass of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Lake Forest Symphony and is a member of the Grant Park Orchestra and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. He has had a decades-long association with the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra and the Chicago Philharmonic/Symphony II. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony and played several productions with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, including several cycles of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. In addition, Mr. Floeter enjoys playing with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Ravinia Festival orchestra, Fulcrum Point, Ars Viva, and Chicago Opera Theatre.
In addition to the University of Illinois at Chicago, Mr. Floeter is the Instructor of Double Bass at Northern Illinois University and Roosevelt University.
A native of the Chicago area, Mr. Floeter graduated high school from the Interlochen Arts Academy. He attended DePaul University where he studied with Warren Benfield and received a degree of Bachelor of Music in Double Bass performance in 1982. In 1984 he was a fellowship recipient to the Aspen Music festival where he studied with Eugene Levinson and Stuart Sankey.
Mr. Floeter is a member of the Chicago Bass Ensemble and has been a guest lecturer and performer for area universities and the Chicago Bass Festival. He has been an active bassist in the Chicago area since 1979, covering multiple genres of music, including classical, jazz, folk, and musical theater.
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