University of Washington

• State: Washinton
• State School (public)
• School Website

Barry Lieberman, bass faculty

• • Contrabass Conversations Interview
  • Email Barry

General Statistics

• • US News Ranking: #54 (tie) in National Universities
  • US News Overall Score (out of 100): 61
  • In-State Tuition & Fees 2016-17: $10,753
  • Out-of-State Tuition & Fees 2016-17: $34,791
  • Room & Board 2016-17: $11,691
  • Total Enrollment: 45,408
  • Acceptance Rate (from 2015): 53%
  • Student – Faculty Ratio: 21:1
  • 4 year graduation rate: 63%
  • % of undergrads receiving Financial aid: 41%
  • Average Financial Aid: $15,500

About The Bass Faculty

Barry Lieberman is now in his twenty-fourth year as double bass faculty at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. He began his career at age twenty-one as principal bass of the Winnipeg Symphony. In 1976 Zubin Mehta appointed him Associate Principal bass of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a post he held for seventeen years.

Mr. Lieberman has been a regular performer with Chamber Music Northwest, Music from Angel Fire, the International Festival in Seattle, Bravo Colorado, Bargemusic, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and Mostly Mozart. Mr. Lieberman performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, both in New York City and on tour in Europe.

Additionally, Mr. Lieberman has performed with many of the worlds greatest conductors, including Pierre Boulez and Sir Simon Rattle (both in orchestral and chamber music settings), Erich Leinsdorf, Leonard Bernstein, Daniel Barenboim, Georg Solti, Eugene Ormandy, Claudio Abbado, and Kurt Sanderling, amongst many others. He has performed chamber music with artists including Emmanuel Ax, James Galway, Lynn Harrell, Pinchas Zuckerman, Glenn Dicterow, Yefim Bronfman, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Jaime Laredo.

A former member of the New European Strings for several years, Mr. Lieberman has toured both the US and Europe with it’s leader, Dimirtri Sitkovetsky. Mr. Lieberman has also served as Principal Bass of the Seattle Symphony on many occasions.

In l994, Mr. Lieberman created the series, “Barry Lieberman and Friends”, at the University of Washington. A series that combines the talents of members of the Seattle Symphony (most notably his wife, Maria Larionoff, former Concertmaster of the SSO), the University, guest artists, and most importantly, students from both the University as well as preparatory level. The series has met with great success and critical acclaim. Featured artists on this series have included Gary Karr, Thomas Martin (Principal bass, London Symphony,) Hal Robinson (Principal bass, Philadelphia Orchestra,) Joel Quarrington (Principal bass, Toronto Symphony), Edgar Meyer, Catalin Rotaru, John Patitucci, Ron Carter, Scott Pingel and many other prominent double bassists from around the world.

The 2000-2001 concert season marked Mr. Lieberman’s debut with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society in New York City. His recording of the complete Vivaldi sonatas arranged for the double bass and piano was released in 2001, and is the first and only recording of all ten of these sonatas. They were performed on Mr. Lieberman’s 1597 Maggini double bass, one of the oldest in the world. This instrument was owned by Stuart Knussen, principal bass of the London Symphony from 1955 to1976.

In 2002 the debut of The American String Project (www.theamericanstringproject.org)took place. The Project is a unique, conductorless string orchestra made up of some of the country’s best concertmasters, soloists, chamber musicians, and teachers. The organization was created by Mr. Lieberman and performs primarily chamber music works arranged by him for a larger string ensemble. To date, Mr. Lieberman has arranged more than 100 string quartets and quintets for the Project. The Project has released many recordings and has garnered some impressive reviews.

Mr. Lieberman has conducted several master classes at the Guildhall School of Music in London, England, the equivalent of the Juiliard School in America and he was featured in the world’s most important magazine for double bass, The Double Bassist (Winter, 2005.)

In the summer of 2004, Mr. Lieberman was invited to join the faculty at the Roundtop Music Festival in Roundtop, Texas, one of the country’s most respected summer music programs.

In 2009 Mr. Lieberman was invited to join the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa Pekka Salonen as Principal Bass for a European tour of Great Britain, Scandinavia and Europe.

Mr. Lieberman recently launched his own You Tube with a series of tutorials on orchestral double bass solos as well as a four part series of interviews with the legendery Gary Karr. YouTube/BarryLieberman.

Mr. Lieberman is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He and his wife Maria Larionoff, the former Concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony, live with their Golden Retriever Mia in a house remodeled and decorated by Mr. Lieberman in perfect mid-century modern style.