Green Arts Network: Pathways from Inspiration to Artistry

Ball State University’s new bass professor Joel Braun is currently accepting applications for bass students at their chamber music summer camp.  Here’s a link to the camp:

Benefic Chamber Music Camp at Ball State University.

Joel has taught at the Juilliard pre-college program since 2004, and he has been a full-time substitute in the New York Philharmonic’s bass section for the past six years.  Check out the camp!  I’ve heard really good things about it.

Northwestern will break ground on a $117 million music building – chicagotribune.com.

This bass is for sale from a former student of mine.  It’s a really good bass that this student used to get into Colburn and Rice.  I love this instrument.

A handmade bass imported by Guarneri House of Michigan, displaying extraordinary wood and workmanship. Chromatic B extension, individual wood tuners. Recent Spirocore and Bel Canto strings contribute to its open as well as powerful tone. Very good adjustable bridge in excellent condition. Ebony bumpers. An excellent value for its workmanship, material, tone and playability at $13000.

Dimensions:
String length: 41.75”
Top length: 42.5”
Rib depth: 9”
Upper-bout width: 20.5”
C-bout width: 14.5”
Lower-bout width: 27.5”

http://www.quantumbasscenter.com/Quantum_Bass_Center/Basses/Pages/Guarneri_House_bass.html
Quantum Bass Center
3414 LaBranch
Houston, TX
77004
713-9090994

Double bass professor Jeff Bradetich teaches a master class every summer in Mittenwald.

Jeff Bradetich is prof. at the University of North Texas and a world famous classical music performer.

http://www.bradetichfoundation.org/

—Highlights include—

-Solo lessons
-Intense technical training
-Basses that you can borrow for free
-Guest teachers
-A nice friendly learning environment
-Highly experienced faculty
-Concerts, workshops and tour of world famous double bass maker family Pöllmanns workshop.

Mittenwald is a historic town situated in the Bavarian Alps 938 meters up the Karwendelspitz- this area has always had excellent wood for building instruments and is the home of the Pöllmann double basses.

The town is also a popular tourist attraction so it´s full of cosy restaurants, hotels and bavarian good spirits.

Price €570 Including tuition fee and Hotel with breakfast for the whole week.

http://music.unt.edu/mittenwald/

From Gunnelpumpers member Doug Johnson:

Greetings,

String things are afoot! This Monday, Gunnelpumpers will be the featured in-studio musical guest on Chicago Public Media’s Eight Forty-Eight program! Please tune in this Monday, April 30, to WBEZ 91.5 FM from 9-10 am CST, where we will play several songs, play some transitions between segments of the program, and do some Q&A with the hosts.

If you’re not in the Chicago area, you can still tune in through the “World Wide Web” at http://wbez.org. (Perchance that’s why they call it the www…) The program will also be rebroadcast from 9-10 pm that same evening. WBEZ plans to put the music performed in-studio, as well as a video of one of our songs, on their website for later consumption.

Monday’s lineup will feature (in orchestration order):
John Meyer: electric guitar
David Keller: ‘cello
Douglas Johnson: Clevinger bass
Michael Hovnanian: double bass
Randy Farr: percussion
Bob Garrett: drum kit

We also have a show next Thursday, May 3, at Reggies Music Joint, 2105 S. State St. in Chicago. We are excited to share the bill with talented bands Bad Forum and Samadhi Vibe, and the evening promises to be replete with sonic goodness.

9pm Gunnelpumpers
10pm Bad Forum
11pm Samadhi Vibe

$5 cover, 21+

Although it’s official release isn’t until June 9 at the Gallery Cabaret in Chicago, our third CD, Tritonium, will be available at Thursday’s show. We’re really proud of this album and think you’ll enjoy this huge departure from our previous two releases.

And don’t forget, support public radio!

Cheers,

Doug
http://gunnelpumpers.com
http://douglasjohnsonmusic.bandcamp.com

Apple iPad + Akai APC40 controlling custom Max for Live Ableton performance software – YouTube.

Here’s another one of my relatively recent tunes (from a couple of months ago). In it, I’m chopping up a vocal sample and applying some autotune, then slicing it into MIDI and pitch bending a melody out of it. The actual vocal loop appears relatively intact about 2/3 of the way through the track. All done in Ableton like usual.

I spend several hours a day working on electronic music, almost totally in Ableton Live. While I’m still playing bass regularly, I seem to be finding myself spending at least a few hours each day immersed in electronic music.

I’ve written/produced/put together (whatever you want to call it in the world of EDM) several tunes and have finally started publishing them to SoundCloud. Here’s one of them–more to come:

ArsAntiguaPresents.com got recognition last fall by Apple for being the most popular classical music podcast in Chicago.  As a result, Ars Antigua was invited to perform in the new Apple Store on North & Clybourn.  How Cool!

Ars Antigua Presents: April 2012 edition – Ars Antigua Presents.

Double Bass Blog Guest Post

Last year, when the International Society of Bassists was involved with the Year of Collaborative Music, I spent a lot of time scouring the web for more chamber music that involves the bass.  I stumbled upon a lot more than I ever knew was out there, including Paul Nemith’s massive list of 3000+ chamber works with bass.

Another impressive site was that of Merton Music.  They have been collecting and reprinting out-of-copyright (public domain) works for years, and have amassed quite a collection of chamber works with bass–most of which I’ve never heard (or heard of.)  Now, thanks to IMSLP, these are all available online for free.  Merton Music only charges a very small fee for printing, so particularly if you are in the UK and the shipping isn’t so much, this seems like a steal.  I mentioned this in an information packet that was given out at a presentation on chamber music at the San Francisco ISB convention, and had the intention of digging into this trove of material myself, but have yet to make the dive.

So my question is . . . with so many bass players looking for fun music to play (whether or not it’s the greatest masterworks of all time)–is anyone checking these pieces out?  I’d love to hear some reviews, and there’s no way I am going to single-handedly make it through this list on my own.

Check out the list of chamber works with bass here.

Then order some, or search for them on IMSLP and print them out.

Then read them with friends, and let the rest of us know what you think of the piece/s.  If you’re really brave, post a recording on youtube–or even better–on the IMSLP page that they have created for non-commercial recordings.

I’ll be looking forward to hearing them!

The fastest and biggest “Flight of the Bumble-bee” – The Philharmonics feat. Ödön Rácz – YouTube.

Ödön Rácz playing the famous “Flight of the Bumble-bee” in world record time. This clip is an excerpt of the movie “Musik in der Luft” (Music in the Air) by director Werner Boote

The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater has a double bass faculty vacancy.  Details are available through the link below:

BassJazz_PD

I taught bass at UW-Whitewater for five years (2002-2007)–great place to work!

Fun!

Hello all – this is Jeff Weisner, bassist in the National Symphony Orchestra and faculty member at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD. There’s a new, week-long bass institute happening this Summer on the historic Baltimore campus of Peabody Conservatory – Peabody Bass Works 2012. We’re tremendously excited about it and wanted to let the Bass Blog community know some details. There are two divisions to Peabody Bass Works, and I’d like to briefly describe each as they each have their own application process.

- The Peabody Bass Works Collegiate Division will select up to six elite bass students, 18 years of age or older, for a six-day intensive program of study, lessons, practice, master classes, and performance from July 2-8, 2012. The participants will work on a daily basis with the entire Peabody Conservatory bass faculty, as well as with our guest faculty artists, San Diego Symphony Principal Bass Jeremy Kurtz-Harris and nationally renowned bassist and teacher Tracy Rowell. A typical Collegiate Division day will feature a morning master class or presentation by the faculty, private lessons with faculty members, and ample practice time with faculty supervision. Students will have solo recital opportunities and participate in a mock audition. Participants will also have time to socialize and to explore Peabody and downtown Baltimore.

Collegiate Division participants will receive a full tuition scholarship covering all expenses for the week, as well as a scholarship covering their room and board during the program.

Application to this division is by CD. The required repertoire is two contrasting solo pieces, so if you already have some material recorded for another festival or event it’s easy to submit that same material for PBW. The fee is only $25 so it’s very affordable to apply. The application and more details can be found on the Peabody website at http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/bassworks#CD

- The Peabody Bass Works Young Bassists Division, held each day from July 5 to 8, 2012, is designed to provide unique learning opportunities to bass players with at least one year of bass study. The program will offer an expanded program of lessons and supervised practice sessions that will culminate on the final afternoon with a thrilling concert that will feature all participants. A typical Young Bassists Division Day will feature small group lessons, supervised practice, and large ensemble work. Participants will also have time to socialize during breaks and lunch time – as well as opportunities to hear mini-recitals by faculty and Collegiate Division participants. Young Bassists will work on a daily basis with the entire Peabody Conservatory faculty, as well as with our guest faculty artists Jeremy Kurtz-Harris and Tracy Rowell and other guest faculty.

Lodging for the Young Bassists Division is available on the Peabody Campus on a limited basis, as well as in nearby hotels.

For all the details on Young Bassists, as well as an application and lodging information, please check our website at:
http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/bassworks#YB

Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions at peabodybassworks@yahoo.com

Thanks!

- Jeff Weisner.

Francois Rabbath – Doris Duke Theatre – YouTube.

Thierry Barbé plays Schubert Sonate Arpeggione 1st mvt double bass and piano – YouTube.

Beethoven – Violin Romance G Major Op. 40, Double bass – Guy Tuneh, Piano – Liana Halepo – YouTube.

Arcade Button MIDI Controller Demo – YouTube.

Octobajeando! contrabajeando, concours Vatelot 2011 – YouTube.

Please join us at the School of Music, University of Washington for two master classes AND a jazz/classical recital with John Patitucci, three time Grammy winning bassist.

The following are the events:

Thursday, Feb 23 @ 1:30pm: Jazz master class

Saturday, Feb 25 @ 2pm: Classical master class

Sunday, Feb 26 @ 2pm: Jazz/Classical recital featuring Marc Seales, piano

All events take place in Brechemin Auditorium inside the School of Music Building on the University of Washington campus. Free parking on Saturday and Sunday. See the link below for more details.

http://www.music.washington.edu/news/?mode=detail&id=139

Barry Lieberman
Artist in Residence
University of Washington
PO Box 353450
Seattle, WA 98195
206.685.9112 Office (direct)
206.523.1223 Home
www.music.washington.edu/home/

Artistic Director
The American String Project
“The Unique, Conductorless String Orchestra”
PO Box 15409
Seattle, WA 98115
206.380.8752
www.theamericanstringproject.org