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L'Orchestre de Contrebasses returns to New York for the first time in more than a decade with Bass, Bass, Bass, Bass, Bass and Bass. The six members - Xavier Lugué, Etienne Roumanet, Olivier Moret, Yves Torchinsky, Jean-Philippe Viret, and Christian Gentet - perform original works drawing from their jazz, contemporary and classical musical roots, and employ lighting and movement, drama and comedy. Shows will be presented at the Connolly Theater, 220 East 4th Street, New York, NY. Performances are every night at 8 PM, Tuesday through Sunday, from November 27th to December 21st.  Tickets are $20 ($15 for students) and are available through SmartTix (www.smarttix.com). Kids aged 4 to 8 and their parents are invited to L'Orchestre's children's show, Bass Wishes, on Saturdays and Sundays at noon (additional showings over the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, November 27th and Friday November 28th). Tickets for these shows are $10. For more information on L'Orchestre de Contrebasses, and clips of actual performances, go to  (www.musicaguild.com/odbc/index.php) or contact Sam Finlay at 917-842-8375, email sam.finlay@wolftonemarketing.com. 

 

 

Rufus Reid appeared with the Air Force Airmen of Note as part of its "Jazz Heritage Series." The program was taped in front of a live audience for satellite radio broadcast this coming April, Jazz Appreciation Month. The Airmen of Note performed some of Rufus' compositions, plus two pieces featuring both Rufus (pictured, left) and Airmen of Note bassist, Senior Master Sergeant Paul Henry.

 
Zbigniew Borowicz's new CD "V'là l'bon vent," including classical, jazz and folk music arranged by the artist. Borowicz has a new website, www.zbigbass.com. 
 
Bassist Rolf Erdahl and his wife, Carrie Vecchione, oboe/English horn, recently received a Jerome Composers Commissioning Grant from the American Composers Forum for a new work by Margaret Griebling-Haigh, "Askelad and the Seven Silver Ducks," which the duo premiered last summer at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Provo, UT.  Rolf and Carrie are Roster Artists with Young Audiences of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Arts Board, and Partnering Artists with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's CONNECT and the Duluth-Superior Symphony's "Music to You" Programs. They present a variety of educational programs linking music and children's literature. Centaur Records has just released "It Takes Two ," their debut recording,  features music by bassist composers Timothy Goplerud and Adrian Mann.  It's available on iTunes and Centaur Records, CRC 2942, at http://www.centaurrecords.com.
 
One of Scandinavia's best known and most played contemporary composers, Rolf Martinsson, will write a new concerto for bassist Dan Styffe and the Oslo Philharmonic.
 
Famed photographer Herman Leonard will have an exhibit in Nashville, TN at the Richter Gallery, November 8, 2008 through January 1, 2009. Go to www.richtergallery.com or call 615/463-2744 for more information.
 
Justin Locke, author of "Real Men Don't Rehearse," has created a line of t-shirts with pithy statements like "I'm Not Lost - I'm Practicing My Page Turning" and "How Many Bruckners Does it Take To Screw in a Lightbulb?" For the answer and to view the latest in Bass Couture, go to http://www.cafepress.com/justinlocke2, and let your inner fashion model shine through!
 
The Chicago Bass Ensemble will appear at 7 PM, Monday, December 15, 2008, at the Heaven Gallery, 1550 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, 2nd floor. For more information go to http://www.chicagobassensemble.com/performances.html.

Barry Green's "Green Man Group" and Diana Gannett will be guest artists at the Las Vegas Bass Workshop, Saturday, January 10, 2009, at the College of Southern Nevada. Ed Richards, bassist and orchestra director at Legacy High School, Las Vegas, is organizing the event. Admission is free. For information call 702-370-8915 or email erichards@interact.ccsd.net.
 
The Arkansas Arts Council has awarded a 2009 Individual Artist Fellowship of $4,000 to ISB member John Dahlstrand. John is co-founder of Duo Millenia, which appeared at the 2007 ISB convention, and is adjunct professor of double bass at Hendrix College. The artists selected in three categories - performing arts, literature and visual arts  - have demonstrated a career commitment to their art discipline and have created a substantial body of work. This year, the Arts Council will present nine awards totaling $36,000. John and the other Fellowship recipients will be recognized in a ceremony during the Governor's Arts Awards luncheon on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, during the ArtLinks 2008 conference at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

 
The Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing held its second Double Bass Sonata Competition, November 7-9, 2008, in Beijing. Professor Silvio Dalla Torre (German) and Yuan Xiong Lu were invited to be co-chairs of the jury. The chief of the teaching and research section of the Central Conservatory of Music, Professor Chen Zi Ping, was in charge of the competition, which was divided into two groups: university students and middle school students. For the middle school students, no prizes were awarded for first and third place; the second prize winner was Li Geng Feng. In the university student competition, the first prize winner was Shao Shi, second prize was Zhang Tian Shu, third prize was Yao Yuan Zheng, and fourth prize was Liu Xiang Quan. Professor Silvio Dalla Torre  played a double bass recital as the grand finale of the event to prolonged applause. Pictured, left to right, back row, is the 2008 jury: Chen Zi Ping, Cai Yu, Wei Bao Zheng, Shao Gen Bao, Silvio Dalla Torre, Yuan XIong Lu, Cao Hui, Nu Min.

 
Who needs the Sopranos when you have the Bassos? The guys and dolls from Paul Robinson's bass studio at The Ohio State University celebrated Halloween '08 with a concert!

 

FUTURE ISB MEMBERS
 
John Dahlstrand and his wife, harpist Elisabeth Chardonnet welcomed Rapha Zachary Marie Pierre Dahlstrand on October 16, 2008. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 12 ozs. and measured 19 inches and just a little longer than his beautiful name. Congratulations to the happy family!
 
Volkan and Sue Orhon, plus son Emre, have welcomed new daughter Norah Ruth to the family! She was born November 8, 2008 and weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces. Congratulations to the proud parents and big brother!
 
After hours of being at the hospital over two days, Natalia Adriana Serna was born to her two overjoyed parents, Magdalena and Phillip Serna. Natalia made her grand entrance on November 19th. Congratulations to the proud new mother and father!

 

 
FACULTY APPOINTMENTS

 

Garry Wasserman has been appointed as the new assistant professor of bass at Ohio University at Athens (OH), teaching applied classical/jazz bass at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as string methods classes.

 

After nearly 25 years of professional orchestral playing, Tim Pitts is retiring from the Houston Symphony Orchestra and will be joining Paul Ellison on Rice University's Shepherd School faculty full-time. Tim launched his professional orchestra career with the Cleveland Orchestra and has been principal bass with the Houston Symphony for 16 years, in addition to serving as an associate professor of double bass at the Shepherd School. He will complete the present season with the HSO and begin his full-time appointment at the Shepherd School in 2010.
 

 

The 2009 Stulberg String Competition will be held Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Western Michigan University. The  application deadline is December 15, 2008.  All string instrument students under the age of 20 are invited to apply.  The 2009 judges are Miriam Fried, Ronald Leonard and Richard Young. For more information, application form and requirements, visit www.stulberg.org.
 
Bass Bash #30 takes place March 15th, 2009 at San Francisco Davies Symphony Hall, Zellerback CA, 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM, with special guest Kristin Korb. Bassists from area middle schools, high schools and universities will participate in small ensembles in the morning, with an advanced masterclass in the afternoon. Contact Barry Green, barry@innergameofmusic.com.  
 
Arizona Bass Players announces the 2009 Festival and Workshop and the second Solo Competition now open to electric bass guitar and double bass players 15-22 years of age. Prizes will include at least a Phil Jones Flightcase amplifier donated by Arizona Music Pro, Inc. of Flagstaff. See details at www.arizonabassplayers.org. The Festival will feature John Clayton, Thierry Barbé, Patrick Neher, Catalin Rotaru, and Joel DiBartolo as well as a featured electric player Ray Riendeau. Performances, workshops, masterclasses, teachers "refilling", and jams will be offered at the Festival - open to all enthusiastic about bass playing. Contact Patrick Neher at 520-621-5822 for more information.

 

Miles Brown, Interim Director of Jazz at Cornell University, will host a Jazz Bass Festival at  Cornell on April 17, 2009. The one-day event will feature Chuck Israels, Todd Coolman, Jeff Campbell, Nicholas Walker and Miles Brown in a series of clincs, and an evening concert. For more information email bassmiles@hotmail.com. 
   
The International Festival-Institute at Round Top, Texas, a professional summer institute for orchestra, chamber music and solo performance study, will be May 31 - July 12, 2009. The bass faculty includes James VanDemark and Brett Shurtliffe. For information go to http://festivalhill.org, call 979/249-3086 or email program director Alain Declert, alaind@festivalhill.org.
 
The 14th Annual Golden Gate Bass Camp, Barry Green, director, takes place July 5-12, 2009. The Ray Brown Memorial Jazz Course will be held July 9-12 at Holy Names University. "Jam-Scat-Move-Groove" is a music camp for bass players dedicated to expressing music from the inside out. Choose from classes in technique, improvisation, orchestra repertoire, theory, history, voice, movement, rhythm, including small ensembles and large bass orchestra across all styles, including classical, jazz, Latin, contemporary, improvisation, world music, and more. Tentative 2009 faculty includes John Clayton, Kristin Korb, Diana Gannett, David Murray, Barry Green, Pat Klobas, Scott Pingel, John Kennedy, David Young, Alan Scofield,  Donovan Stokes, Inez Wyrick, Ed Williams, Richard Duke, Mary Knysh and special guests. Watch for the updated 2009 website in Febrary, or contact Barry Green, barry@innergameofmusic.com. Barry Green appears on guitarist/composer Lenny Carlson's new CD, "Seat of the Pants." 

 
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