I had a great time talking with Kate Jones for the podcast!  Kate is a Suzuki bass specialist working in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  She is doing remarkable things for young bass students!

Links to Check Out:

• Kate’s website
• Kate and Jesse McQuarters playing bass on Mt. Evans
• Jason attempting to play a 1/32 size bass

More About Kate:

Double bassist Kate Jones studied with Jeff Bradetich at the University of North Texas, where she completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in the summer of 2014. Before moving to Texas, Kate received her Master of Music degree at Cleveland Institute of Music under the direction of Max Dimoff and Jeff Bradetich. In Cleveland she was actively involved in several area orchestras, including the CIM Orchestra, Cleveland Opera Circle, Firelands Symphony and the Cleveland Womens’ Orchestra. Kate received her Bachelor of Music at Illinois Wesleyan University in 2008. Here she was active in the IWU Civic Orchestra as well as Wind Ensemble, in addition to local orchestras such as the Muscatine Symphony and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony. Kate currently holds regular positions in Texas and has subbed for such orchestras as Fort Worth Symphony. In the fall of 2014 she joined the faculty of Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD as their bass specialist.

Kate began playing chamber music at an early age with her family–first reading the Trout Quintet in High School. Her fascination with this genre continued to grow and blossomed during a summer abroad in 2007. It was then that she first played the Dvo?ák string Quintet as well as the Prokofiev Op. 39 Quintet. These performances prepared her for work in contemporary chamber ensembles such as the CIM Bass Quartet and the Cleveland contemporary ensemble Secundum Silentium.

Kate has had the pleasure of participating in workshops and masterclasses with such artists as Edgar Meyer, Jeff Turner, and Michael Tilson Thomas. She attended Chautauqua Music Festival during the summers of 2011 and 2012.

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

A440 Violin Shop – An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440’s commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

The Bass Violin Shop, which  offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome!