Contrabass Conversations

Today's episode features a conversation with Paul Leverger, who heads the marketing team for the music score reading app Newzik .   Newzik just rolled out a new LiveScores feature which uses Maestria , their AI-driven Optical Music Recognition technology.   This new feature allows for any PDF or paper score to be turned into an interactive document. Enjoy, and Contrabass Conversations listeners ca...

Patrick Staples is a bassist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and has begun making bows recently.   We talk about growing up in Canada, moving to Los Angeles to attend Colburn and study with David Allen Moore and Paul Ellison, further studies with Tim Pitts at Rice University, and landing his job in Calgary.   We also dig into how Patrick got started repairing bows, getting into making bass...

Christopher Jeffer is a double bassist and recording engineer who recently released a solo bass album titled Cat's Cradle .   We dig into the inspiration for this album, what he has learned about recording double bass, the challenge of doing this recording during the pandemic, goals for the future, and much more. Check out Cat's Cradle on Spotify , Apple Music , and Bandcamp , and be sure to follo...

Trevor Jones and Jason talk about the behind-the-scenes work behind the launch of the Double Bass Blog Sheet Music Store in today's special mini-episode.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out the store for over 100 titles covering different styles, techniques like harmonics, repertoire for solo double bass, 2 basses, and more! Every purchase goes directly to the double bass community.   Subscribe to t...

Rob Knopper is a percussionist with the MET Orchestra , and he is a force of nature in the online learning world, with his popular auditionhacker program and other associated ventures.   We talk about what the last few years have been like since our previous interview in 2016 , how his online programs have evolved, what the pandemic has been like for him, recent launches, thoughts on music entrepr...

Today's episode features a discussion with the following luthiers about the 2021 Build a Bass event in conjunction with the virtual International Society of Bassists Convention : Dustin Williams Trevor Davis Joey Naeger Mitch Moehring Madeleine Crouch (ISB General Manager)   Enter the 2021 ISB Build-a-Bass Sweepstakes by Saturday, June 12 at 11:59 PM Central Time for your chance to win this bass!...

Nicky Schwartz just released Stolen Pearls with his wife Anna Fedorova, including the most epic double bass album trailer ever .   Nicky and Anna call themselves the Oyster Duo , and in this album they uncover all kinds of pieces not commonly played on bass.   We talk about the new album, Nicky's journey through the music world, what it's like playing in the Concertgebouw Orchestra , starting to g...

Nina DeCesare recently joined the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2020 after spending several seasons playing with the Oregon Symphony.   She studied at Rice University with Paul Ellison and leads an active performing and teaching life outside of the orchestra.   We talk about what the pandemic has been like for her, auditioning for a job while holding down another job, how non-ideal audition circ...

Jonathan Borden is a double bassist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and a graduate of Juilliard.   He has recently launched an awesome YouTube Channel and is filming detailed tutorials about all kinds of double bass topics.   We dig deep into YouTube tech talk, the joys and challenges of being a "YouTuber," Jonathan's future plans for his channel, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to che...

Tony Alcock is Double Bass Section Leader for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.   He has previously been Principal double bass of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and section leader with the BBC Now (Wales), BBC SSO (Scotland), Scottish Opera, and Co-Principal with the Halle.   We talk about all kinds of topics, including Tony's path through the music world, what the pandemic ha...

Isaac Trapkus joined the New York Philharmonic in November 2016. Before joining the Philharmonic he was a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and, before that, principal double bass of the New Haven Symphony while he was studying with Leigh Mesh, associate principal bass of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.   Isaac also volunteers as a designer and administrator with IMSLP , the online sheet...

Marc Gelfo is the founder of Modacity , which has transformed my practice habits during the three years that I've been using it. We dig into what Marc has been up to since our last podcast chat , the power of deliberate practice, new features coming for Modacity, the new iPad edition, and more. Enjoy, and check out this special lifetime offer that Marc has set up for Contrabass Conversations liste...

Erica Bramham just released Enamel , her third album, and her first self-recorded release. We talk about how the pandemic inspired these compositions, what it was like shooting the music videos for this album, what the pandemic has been like for her in Melbourne, thoughts on future projects, and such more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Erica's work on her website , Bandcamp , YouTube , Instagr...

Mary Rannie is the principal double bass of the Victoria Symphony in British Columbia, Canada, the double bassist in the Galiano Ensemble, and former bass instructor at the University of Victoria.   She is also the author of Gary Karr: Life on the G String , which chronicles the remarkable career of one of the most influential bassists in history. We talk about the inspiration for the book, the de...

Michael Fuller is currently a Resident Bass Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic .   Prior to that, he spent three seasons with the New World Symphony. We talk about Michael's background, growing up in Philadelphia, discovering the bass, his time spent at Eastman and Rice, learning Sofia Gubaidulina's Eight Studies for Double Bass , what the pandemic has been like for him, much more. Enjoy, and...

Daniel Chiva Sanz recently recorded his own orchestration of the Second Double Bass Concerto Op. 25 by Findeisen .   We dig into how this work was lost in a fire, leaving only the nearly impossible to play piano reduction.   We also cover how Danny discovered the work, the compositional style of Findeisen, challenges and pleasures of learning this work, and much more.   Dani also plays through a g...

Peter Rofé has been a bassist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1986. He began his orchestral career as the principal bassist with the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Opera and held those posts for fourteen years. He also recently started a YouTube Channel where he sings and play bass with arrangements of classic songs.   We talk about Peter's background, what it was like playing in the...

Kenneth Knudson recently released an album titled Uummat which was inspired by working on the Western Greenland island of Uummannaq. Knudsen was exposed to the vast, calm and awe-inspiring natural surroundings, which were the first catalyst for a new set of compositions. Soon, a second incidence added a new dimension to the music. During a dinner with the leader of the local orphanage, Knudsen was...

Evangeline Tang, Phoebe Clarke and Yijia Cui started the Bassists with Boobs Instagram account in July 2020 to improve the online representation of bass players and create a positive and empowering community.   We talk about their recent Leeds trip to do an interview with Geoff Chalmers of Discover Double Bass , the idea behind founding the channel, rewards, and challenges of the work they're doin...

Roberto Cassani has just released an intriguing new album titled Ansema We Stand .   This album is a mix of world and folk music, blending the cultures of Scotland and rural northern Italy, Roberto's two main homes with some of Scotland's finest musicians.   We talk about the new album, how the pandemic has been for him, his "other life" working in health care and what that has been like this past...

Mark Helias is a renowned bassist, composer, and producer who has performed throughout the world for more than four decades with some of the most important and innovative musicians in Jazz and Improvised Music including Don Cherry, Edward Blackwell, Anthony Davis, Dewey Redman, Anthony Braxton, Abbey Lincoln, Cecil Taylor, and Uri Caine.   Mark recently released Some Kind of Tomorrow with saxophon...

Petru Iuga currently holds a professorship at the University of Music and Arts in Mannheim, Germany and Haute École de Musique de Lausanne.   Having received his first training in his native Romania, he was selected by Yehudi Menuhin for the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad (Switzerland).   After further training at the Hochschule der Künste-Bern and the Conservatoire national supérie...

Bernardo Alviz was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia.   He started his music studies at the age of 17 and holds a Bachelor's degree from the Universidad Javeriana in Bogota as well as a Bachelor's and Master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin in Germany. Bernardo is a passionate performer of contemporary music and has performed in some of the most renowned festivals inclu...

Shawn Conley leads an inspiring life playing all kinds of music.   He has been playing with the Silkroad Ensemble for six years and is a member of the Brooklyn-based chamber orchestra The Knights . We talk about growing up in Hawaii, his paradigm-shifting first International Society of Bassists Convention and how it shaped his development, his path into his current career, and much more. Enjoy, an...

Travis Gore has held a position with the Seattle Symphony and currently maintains a private studio of students in South Seattle. He remains an active studio musician and can be heard on major film and game soundtracks such as Men Who Stare at Goats, Valkyrie, Halo, Dragon Age and more.   He has recorded with many recording artists like Bryan John Appleby, Hey Marseilles, Wall of Ears and composes...