Dan Styffe is a man in constant motion.
It’s astonishing the number of musical projects that he has going on:
- a new solo album coming this spring (his eighth album in 11 years!)
- appearances at events like BASS2016, RCM International Festival, and ISB 2017
- serving as Co-Principal Bass of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
- teaching at The Norwegian Academy of Music and Barratt Due’s Institute of Music
New music for the bass is a major area of interest for Dan. He works regularly with composers like Rolf Martinsson, Teppo Hauta-Aho, Bernard Salles, and Simón García.
We dig into all kinds of topics today:
- growing up deep in the woods of Sweden
- how starting to play on his beautiful Gasparo da Saló bass changed his technique
- life in the Oslo Philharmonic
- what Dan finds exciting about the modern double bass scene
- tips for finding practice time in a busy schedule
- why Dan places the greatest importance on sound
It was such a pleasure to spend time with Dan at BASS2016 in Prague, and I can’t wait to see him again in person!
Links to check out:
- Dan’s website
- Octophonia (Dan’s most resent release)
I also love this documentary of Dan premiering Rolf Martinsson’s Bass Concerto:
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