Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

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Double bassist Tyler Bakken sent me a link to this story about the Houston Symphony’s newest PR idea–trading cards! Kurt Johnson, the violinist mentioned in the following quote, is an old acquaintance of mine. We both attended Northwestern University and played in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago masters degree fellowship program in [...]

Madison Symphony
The Madison Symphony Orchestra will be holding the following auditions for the 2007-08:
String/Keyboard Openings for the 2007-08 concert seasonSection Bass: September 17, 2007
The MSO is a professional per service orchestra, offering about 80 services a year. The pay for a section player for the 2007-08 season is $83.50 per rehearsal and $94.75 [...]

I spent this entire week in Wisconsin, first driving to Madison to play in the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, then heading up to Milwaukee to play a yearly concert called Gathering On the Green about 20 miles north of Milwaukee. This kind of driving reminds me of what it was like playing in the Milwaukee [...]

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 [...]

Patty from oboeinsight just clued me in to this fantastic blog by double bassist Robert Meyer. I can’t believe that this blog has escaped my attention. It is (like the title suggests) a series of reminiscences on Robert’s extremely varied career in the music business, and it is a great read. Here [...]

So where do we go from here? Do we all just turn in our instruments and quit this miserable business? Not me, and not you either, I imagine. We musicians know the value of what we do. We know that our art can change lives, create happiness, inspire greatness in others, [...]

The New World Symphony will be performing Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka with Michael Tilson Thomas this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Here is some more information on this event from the NWS website:

On Sunday, April 29 at 4:30PM EDT, the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral [...]

 

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The next episode of Contrabass Conversations is now available for your listening pleasure. This episode features a talk with Lyric Opera of Chicago bassist Andy Anderson and music from the double and electric bass band Gunnelpumpers. Enjoy!
CBC 17 Show Notes

Episode Length: 47:12
Release Date: 4/22/07
Website: www.contrabassconversations.com
Blog: www.doublebassblog.com
Voicemail: 206-666-6509

E-Mail: contrabassconversations@gmail.com
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What, exactly, is a “regional” orchestra? For the purposes of this article, regional orchestras will be defined as organizations that employ professional musicians but do not offer a salary and other benefits of full-time employment. The organizational structure is virtually identical to the full-time symphony orchestra and is quite different from the community [...]

As I was wrapping up my Masters degree from Northwestern University in 2000, reality started to set in. I needed to pay my bills as a musician! I had won a position in the Milwaukee Ballet and in the IRIS Chamber Orchestra (I ended up getting a position in the Elgin Symphony that [...]