|
PASSAGES
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra announced in a joint statement with the Vienna State Opera that double bassist Georg Straka died November 3rd while hiking on Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain. He was 41 years old. There were no details provided about the circumstances; the Vienna Philharmonic was on tour in Japan at the time of his death. Georg Straka, who was from Moedling, Austria, joined the Vienna Philharmonic in 1999 and had been a member of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra since 1996.
Make a donation in memory of ISB member Bob Bowen, who died on August 30, 2010 from injuries sustained in a bicycling accident, that will benefit his children. |
|
ON SALE NOW!
Order print music, CDs, DVDs and videos, convention t-shirts, posters, back issues of magazines and more at the www.ISBstore.com.
Check out recent additions to the ISB Online Store! CDs, print music, books and more for sale by Jay Leonhart, Bass Instinct, Scott LaFaro, Bad Boyz of Double Bass, Paul Unger, Terry Plumeri, Whitney Moulton, The American String Project, Chester Biscardi, Jeremy Kurtz, Lynn Seaton, Arni Egilsson, Robert Meyer, Diana Gannett, Jon Hamar, Peter Kowald, Richard Wilson, Murray Grodner, L'Orchestre de Contrabasses, Jean-Philippe Viret, Arni Egilsson, Jim Ferguson, Donovan Stokes, Mark Morton, Paul Erhard and Atmic Vision, Kristin Korb, David Murray, Peter Kowald, Volkan Orhon, Leon Bosch, Peter Dominguez, Robert Oppelt, Francesco Fraioli, Jon Hamar, Zbigniew Borowicz, Peter Askim, Tom Knific, John Harbison, Ben Taylor, Yoan Goilav, Randall Kertz, Sher Music, Stefano Sciascia, Buell Neidlinger, Bruce Gertz, Tuomo Haapala, Adrian Mann, Rufus Reid, Thomas Martin, Hans Sturm, Mark Urness, J.C. Jones, Joelle Leandre, Mark Dresser, Bert Turetzky, Barre Phillips, Paul Ramsier, John Dahlstrand, Ben Taylor, Thomas Gale, Terry Plumeri and The Gary Karr Store! New additions arriving every month!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
News of Note
Happy holidays to all, and a cool Yule from the ISB!
2010 Grammy nominations included a number of ISB members: Among the nominees are:
ˇ Best Jazz Instrumental Album - The New Song and Dance, The Clayton Brothers (and John Clayton's pianist son Gerald is also nominated for Best Instrumental Composition, Battle Circle, from the same album.)
ˇ Best Contemporary Jazz Album - The Stanley Clarke Band (the self-titled album is also nominated in the Best Pop Instrumental Performance category)
ˇ Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album - Pathways, The Dave Holland Octet
ˇ Best Latin Jazz Album - Tango Grill, Pablo Aslan
ˇ Best New Artist - Esperanza Spalding
ISB member Gottfried Engels reports that government officials in Bonn, Germany are trying to close the opera house. You can support the arts not only in your home town, but also in Bonn by going to http://jetzt-ist-schluss.theater-bonn.de/ and signing the petition. There is a translate button in the upper right hand corner of the page. Over 6,000 people have signed the petition to date.
ICSOM, the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, will hold its annual meeting in August in Detroit to show its support of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians, who have been on strike since October over 33% pay cuts. "It is the sincere hope of musicians everywhere that by the time our meeting is held in Detroit, the orchestra will once again be back on stage and that our gathering will be a celebration for what should be a bright future for the DSO and the community," said Bruce Ridge, chairman of ICSOM, in a statement. ISB board member and 2007 convention co-host John Schimek, professor of double bass at Oklahoma City University, is a candidate for election to the American String Teachers Association board of directors. It goes without saying that John should have the double bass constituency in the bass bag! So if you're also an ASTA member as well as an ISB member, don't forget to vote! (And in late-breaking Schimek family news, bassist son Joel Schimek just won the first chair spot in the Oklahoma All-State Orchestra!) Xavier Foley, winner of the age 14 and under division of the 2009 ISB Double Bass Competition, has advanced to the semi-finals of the Sphinx competition, which will be hosted by the Detroit Symphony in February, 2011. The Sphinx Organization is dedicated to building diversity in classical music and bringing classical music into the everyday lives of young people everywhere.
ISB members Emily Brown and Sam Casseday are finalists in the NPR radio program "From the Top Big Break" YouTube competition. You can vote for one or both of them once a day, every day through 11:59 EST, December 14th. The grand prize is an appearance on a "From the Top" radio broadcast, and a featured performance in a Carnegie Hall Family Concert. To vote, go to http://www.youtube.com/BigBreak.
Bass makers Guy Cole and Mario Lamarre won gold medals at the recent VSA Competition, held in Cleveland, OH. Congratulations to Guy and Mario!
Nicholas Walker, double bass professor at Ithaca College, premiered a new concerto by composer Dana Wilson on December 4, 2010, at Ford Hall. Orchestra director Jeffrey Meyer led the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra for this world premiere.
Learn more about the life and legacy of the late, great bassist Red Mitchell at the newly relaunched website www.redmitchell.com.
If you think flying with a regular double bass is hard (and it is!), take a look at this video clip of an octobass demonstration at http://doublebassblog.org/2010/08/octobass-in-action.html.
Read the latest posting for the new Chicago Bass Ensemble Blog at http://www.chicagobassensemble.com/2010/11/29/recording-update-november-29/.
 | | Nearly 100 participants from 15 countries took part in the 10th International Double Bass Convention, held at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, Czech Republic and organized by artistic director Miloslav Jelínek and the JAMU faculty in co-operation with the Czech Double Bass Society. There were seven days of classical and jazz concerts, classes and exhibits, plus a competition in two categories. In the age 20 and under division, first prize was awarded to Oskars Bokanovs (Latvia), second prize to Caio Mesquita (Brazil) and third prize went to Ze Zhang Jian (China). In the age 20 to 30 division, Petr Vasinka (Czech Republic) won first prize, second prize was awarded to Namgyun-Joshua Kim (Korea), and third prize to Marek Svestka (Czech Republic). An honorable mention was given to Svoboda Bozduganova (Bulgaria). |
 | | The Ohio State University Double Bass Ensemble, Paul Robinson, director, enacts its tribute to zombie movies, "Walking Bass," for the 2010 OSU HalleBOOia Concert. Mmmmmm...baaaaaaaasssssssss! (Photo credit: Bill Tijerina) |
WARNING!! There is a music lessons scam email going around, received by some members listed in our ISB email directory. They have been contacted by a person who wants to arrange for lessons for a child, since his family is going to be traveling to the U.S. The scammer will send a counterfeit check that is far more than the cost of lessons arranged. The scammer will then ask the intended scam victim to send the overpayment back as a wire transfer or Western Union money order. The scammer might even been as bold as to be in touch with intended victims by telephone. To learn more about and/or to report a scam email, go to http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams/e-scams. |
|
Upcoming Events & Reminders
Click here for guidelines and entry forms for the 2011 ISB Double Bass Competition, with divisions for jazz, solo, orchestra and ages 15-18 and 14 and under. Attention, bass makers, click here to download rules and entry form for the 2011 ISB Maker's Competition.
Click here for news and to learn about the ISB's participation in MTNA's "Year of Collaborative Music."
The Music Institute of Chicago welcomes young composers to apply for its Next Generation competition. The entry deadline is December 15, 2010. For complete guidelines and an application, go to www.musicinstituteofchicago.org/media/pr/gennext-inside2.pdf.
Make plans to celebrate the Summer of Bass Love at the 2011 ISB Convention, June 6-11, at San Francisco State University. Stay tuned for details and mark your calendars!
DECEMBER
The Barry Lieberman and Friends concert series continues with Seattle Symphony principal bass Jordan Anderson, giving orchestra masterclasses on December 11th , February 5, 2011 and April 9, 2011; and San Francisco Symphony principal bass Scott Pingel in recital on March 13, 2011, with a solo masterclass on March 12th. Events take place in the Brechemin Auditorium inside the School of Music Building at the University of Washington-Seattle. Parking on Sunday is free. The best lots closest to the Music Building are N-6 and N-5 (www.washington.edu/home/maps/northcentral.html). Tickets at the door will be available one half hour prior to the concert.
The New York-based string quintet Sybarite5 (Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney, violins, Angela Pickett, viola, Laura Metcalf, cello, and Louis Levitt, double bass) is in residency at the Cell Theatre in New York City, December 1-12, performing works by Mozart, Radiohead, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Led Zeppelin, Visconti and others. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com/event/131628 or call 1-800-838-3006. They will also perform December 16th at 8 PM in the The Library of Congress (details at http://blogs.loc.gov/music/2010/11/sybarite5/) and January 15th at Lincoln Center (details soon.)
JANUARY
The Abreu Fellows from the New England Conservatory of Music's El Sistema USA program will be the featured keynote panel presentation at 8:30 AM, Sunday, January 16th in the Anaheim Hilton's California Ballroom during the 2011 NAMM Show. Music educators and school administrators across the country are invited to attend the event in Anaheim, CA, and the full Music Education Days program, January 15-16, 2011. The Abreu Fellows have studied music as part of El Sistema USA. They have committed to guide the development of El Sistema programs in the United States and around the world for at least a year upon their completion of the program, and to guide the El Sistema vision to meet the music learning needs and opportunities of underserved and at-risk youth. It is a program encompassing a philosophy that music education is the key of life, meeting the needs of children today, where they are, how they live-for the joy of learning music and achieving all they can be in school and in life. The El Sistema USA movement recognizes that its program brings distinct advantages that could catalyze the provision of resources and visibility for the entire music education ecosystem," said Erik Holmgren, education director of the Abreu Fellows program. Music educators can register online before December 15, 2010, to attend any or all of the events during Music Education days at: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=5w7ndndab&oeidk=a07e2zv82j4fb2c366e To secure a hotel room, visit: http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2011/hotels.
ISB member Robert Docs and pianist Grace Baugh-Bennett will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the New Millennium Duo with a performance at Indiana University Southeast (New Albany, IN) on Sunday, January 23, 2011. The program includes works by Bottesini, Cerny, Hindemith, Berkeley, Hertl, and Marangoni. Mr. Docs has been a member of the Louisville Orchestra since 1980.
FEBRUARY
Join David Murray, Butler University Professor of Bass, for Butler Midwest Bass Day, Saturday, February 12, 2011, 9 AM - 5 PM, in the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall at Butler University, Indianapolis, IN. The guest faculty includes Hans Sturm (Ball State University), Diana Gannett (University of Michigan), Phillip Serna (Valparaiso University) and luthier Nick Lloyd. Activities include student and clinician performances, lectures, demonstrations and masterclasses. For more information email dmurray@butler.edu or call 317-940-8404. APRIL Gottfried Engels is teaching a course for double bass at the State Academy for Music in Heek, Germany, April 15-21, 2011. For more information go to www.landesmusikakademie-nrw.de/kursangebot/instrumental/kontrabass/. |
|
Festivals, Competitions & Auditions
Mark your calendars for the 2 nd annual Jazz Education Network Conference, January 6-8, 2011 in New Orleans. For information go to www.JazzEdNet.org.
Click here for guidelines and entry forms for the 2011 ISB Double Bass Competition, with divisions for jazz, solo, orchestra and ages 15-18 and 14 and under.
Attention, bass makers, click here to download rules and entry form for the 2011 ISB Maker's Competition. |
|
Music Bringing Us All Together
The ISB is a partner organization in the Music Teachers National Association's (MTNA) "Year of Collaborative Music." From March, 2010 through March, 2011, we will be encouraging ISB members to present concerts and events that promote the role of the bass in small ensembles. Click here for more information and to view a calendar of performances plus a list of chamber music resources.
Click here to view and listen to video clips from 2009's "Deep Tones for Peace," held on a worldwide virtual stage, featuring Mark Dresser, Barre Phillips, Henry Grimes, Chi-chi Nwanoku, Bert Turetzky, William Parker, Rufus Reid, Irina-Kalina Goudeva, Thierry Barbé, J.C. Jones and others in solo and ensemble performances.
Listen to "The Cool Jazz Set," hosted by ISB member Paul Pearce, to hear some of your favorite jazz artists each week live at 7 PM EST at www.wdce.org, or later at www.cooljazzset.com.
Young bassists and their teachers, go to the Kilenny School of Ireland, www.kilkennyschoolofmusic.net, to find free downloadable sheet music and play-along mp3 files. |
|
Benefitting the ISB
 Sales from "Lynn Seaton Live" at the 2003 ISB Convention, with Lynn Seaton, bass, Bill Mays, piano, and Tim Froncek, drums benefit the International Society of Bassists. Listen to both originals and favorites from Lynn's amazing ISB convention debut. Buy here!
Ovidiu Badila began to study music at the age of six in Romania, and gained international renown, winning numerous prizes for his virtuosity. He was professor of the Staaliche Hochschule fur Musik of Trossingen in Germany and had recently started teaching at the Musik-Akademic der Stadt Basel in Switzerland before his untimely death in 2001. Here is a two-disk recording of his final recital, complete with the artist's lively commentary, given at the University of Washington in Seattle and hosted by Barry Lieberman. Barry released the CD as a tribute to Ovidiu Badila's brilliant and far too brief life and career, and has donated copies of the CD to the ISB. All sales benefit the International Society of Bassists, purchase here!
A portion of sales from the required piece for the Age 14 and Under Division of the 2011 ISB Double Bass Competition, Song and a Dance for Double Bass & Piano, written by Blaise Ferrandino and published by Ludwin Music, www.ludwinmusic.com, will be donated back to the ISB by the composer and publisher.
The first and only biography to date of jazz bassist Scott LaFaro has been published by the University of North Texas Press. Written by his sister, Helene LaFaro Fernandez, Jade Visions tells the story of one of the 20th century's most influential jazz musicians. Best known for his recordings with Bill Evans, he played bass a mere seven years before his life and career were tragically cut short by an automobile accident at age 25. The winner of the 2010 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research in Jazz, it combines an intimate look at his family along with insights into LaFaro's music and career by Gene Lees, Don Thompson, Jeff Campbell, Phil Palombi, Barrie Kolstein, Chuck Ralston and many others. Hardback, 352 pages, including never before published photos. $25 plus shipping and handling at http://www.isbstore.com/miscellaneous.html.  The perfect companion to the Scott LaFaro biography Jade Visions is the newly released CD, Pieces of Jade. Listen to some of LaFaro's earliest recordings with pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca, plus a 1966 interview with Bill Evans, over 20 minutes of an Evans and LaFaro rehearsal, and "Memories for Scotty," a solo piano tribute by Don Friedman. A must-have for fans of jazz and every bassist now available at the ISB Online Store, with a portion of proceeds from sales benefitting the ISB's Scott LaFaro Prize fund. $15 plus shipping and handling at http://www.isbstore.com/miscellaneous.html.
The George Vance Young Bassists Education Fund, established in honor and memory of the late George Vance, and will be dedicated to offering educational opportunities for young bassists. Send donations payable to the International Society of Bassists and addressed to the George Vance Young Bassists Education Fund, International Society of Bassists, 14070 Proton Rd., Suite 100, LB 9, Dallas, Texas 75244. The ISB is a 501(C)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. |
|
|
|
|
