Lots of things are happening in the bass world as we move through spring!
Events
The 50th Anniversary International Society of Bassists Convention happens in less than two months! I can’t believe that we’re this close. It’s going to be a blast. I’ll be there all week, and I hope to meet you there!
Lisa Chisholm of Master Performing will be presenting a five-day Summer Intensive Training Program July 7-11, 2017. Lisa was a monumental help to me putting together my book Winning the Audition last fall, and this sounds like a valuable event for sure. If you’re looking to improve your performance game using the tools of sports and performance psychology, this is a good place to look!
New Offerings
Danny Ziemann, author of The Low Down and a past podcast guest, has put together a survey designed to understand what topics are currently represented in jazz literature, and how these topics represent your interest & needs as a student and teacher. The findings will be used to help better understand where we are currently at as a community and fuel future research. Click here to take the survey!
I just released an interview with Steve Metcalf, the winner of the Colorado Symphony principal bass position. Interviewing recent audition winners has become a part of what I do for the podcast, and I enjoy sitting down and talking tactics, mindset, and the like with these individuals.
Some other recent audition winner episodes include:
- Ted Botsford (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
- Caleb Quillen (Kansas City Symphony)
- Ian Hallas (Lyric Opera of Chicago)
- Robin Kesselman (Houston Symphony)
- Joe Conyers (Philadelphia Orchestra)
Metropolitan Opera percussionist Rob Knopper just released a very cool (and timely) video about what to do if you get rejected from every summer festival:
I had a great interview with Rob back in the fall where we dug into all kinds of interesting audition topics. I also included a transcript of this interview in my recent book Winning the Audition.
Congratulations
Detroit Symphony principal bassist (and past podcast guest) Kevin Brown just joined the faculty of Michigan State University to replace longtime MSU bass professor (and also another past podcast guest) Jack Budrow. Congratulations to Kevin on the new appointment and to Jack for all his years of teaching!
Check out my interview with Kevin Brown below, and subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or your program of choice here.
Congratulations to bassist and radio producer Jesse McQuarters for receiving the Colorado Suzuki Institute‘s Outstanding Faculty Member Award! I’ve known Jesse for years and always had a great time running into him in Chicago. He’s a great example of the multi-faceted career that you can have in the fine arts world.
Congratulations to Dan Smith for winning the assistant principal bass position in the San Francisco Symphony! Here’s a message from Dan’s former teacher Tim Pitts. Congrats, Dan!
Congrats also to former Rob Kassinger and Tim Pitts student Andrew Pedersen for winning a position with the Houston Symphony! I had the privilege of working with Andrew in high school for Northwestern University’s now-defunct National High School Music Institute. He went on to study at DePaul, and I always had a great time chatting with him between lessons in the bass room. Great news, Andrew!
Quick Links:
- The Injuries of the Small-Muscle Athlete (fascinating audio episode–highly recommended)
- Francois Rabbath plays Le Cri de Venise
- Joe Conyers performing with an unexpected stand partner!
- Bass Health – Shaking, Pivoting, & Watching the Groove from upcoming podcast guest Randy Kertz
- Ira Gold with the St. Petersburg State Conservatory bass students
Have You Got News to Share? Let Me Know!
Send me an email at feedback@contrabassconversations.com and let me know what’s up with you! I’ll happily share it out on these weekly double bass news updates.
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