Careers – Page 11

384: Dennis Tobenski talks careers, business, composing, and podcasting

Dennis Tobenski is a composer of acoustic new music whose work has been described by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times as “distinctive and engaging”. He is also a vocalist and a strong advocate for new music and for the interests of living composers.

Dennis also hosts two music business-centered podcasts aimed at helping composers and performers to learn more about the practical aspects of their careers: the Music Publishing Podcast, a weekly, hour-long conversation with other professionals in the field of concert music, and The Composer’s Guide to Doing Business, where he answers questions and discusses current issues the new music community.

383: The Orchestral Dream is Dead with Matt Waters

Earlier this summer, I read an article from Matthew Waters that caught my attention. Titled The Orchestral Dream is Dead, it outlined Matt’s experiences going through school at UCLA and trying to develop a career in Los Angeles.

I posted this article on Facebook, and it got a lot of thoughtful comments from orchestral musicians, students, and others. I thought that it would be great to chat with Matt for the podcast and dig into these topics.

379: Dennis Whittaker on opera life, endurance, and career paths

Dennis Whittaker has had a fascinating journey through the music world.

After his studies in music education at Baylor University and a masters degree with Jeff Bradetich at Northwestern University, Dennis found himself teaching middle and high school orchestra in Texas.

After seven years of teaching in the Waco and Houston public schools, a series of events occurred that propelled him into the professional performing world:

he landed the principal bass position for the Houston Grand Opera
he was hired to teach bass at the University of Houston
he began subbing regularly in the Houston Symphony

We dig into the events surrounding this transition and much more!

Check out the opera excerpts that Dennis talks about here!

373: Rebecca Lawrence on the state of women in the bass world and life as a music student

What’s it like being a double bass student these days… and what’s it like being a female bass student?

These are two topics that should have come up a lot sooner on the podcast.

Even though I’ve put out nearly 400 podcast episodes at this point, I’ve only had students on the show once before.

During the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention, I had the chance to meet Rebecca Lawrence. Rebecca is entering her senior year at the University of Southern California and is studying with David Allen Moore.

A few weeks after the convention, I had the chance to sit down and chat with her about her experiences as a bass student, where she sees herself going professionally, challenges and setbacks, and much more.

Our story today is in three parts:

Part 1 – the state of women in the bass world
Part 2 – undergraduate life – surprises, evolutions, and challenges
Part 3 – looking into the future – how Rebecca’s thinking has evolved during her time at USC

For more on the state of women in the orchestra world, be sure to check out Nina DeCesare‘s great post titled “That thing is bigger than you!”; Why We Need More Female Bassists in Professional Orchestras.

We also featured Nina on the podcast earlier in 2017.

372: finding your path with Louis Levitt

Playing outside of Aspen’s Paradise Bakery was both a low-stakes and high-stakes affair for Louis Levitt and his friends.

Low-stakes because… well, it was playing outside of a bakery.

High-stakes because folks like David Zinman, Gil Shaham, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg were walking by constantly.

Louis was on the orchestral path that so many of us take. But along the way, Louis started to ask “what if?”

What if it was possible to make a career as a chamber music double bassist?