Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

971: Dan Carson on his path to the Chicago Symphony bass section

Daniel Carson is the most recent addition to the Chicago Symphony bass section.  Dan and I chatted in 2018 about his journey thus far, and today we dig into his audition process, lessons learned during his studies with David Allen Moore, and much more.  Enjoy!

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Connect with us:

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle.

Check out my Beginner’s Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – CMU is dedicated to helping each student achieve their goals as a musician. Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

712: Dr. James Day and Trevor Jones: The Scholarship Roadmap

Today’s episode is the 2nd of 4 of The Scholarship Roadmap’s takeover of the Contrabass Conversations podcast feed. The Scholarship Roadmap is an online program for student musicians pursuing careers in music. It was developed by Contrabass Conversations team member, Trevor Jones. Book a discovery call with Trevor to see if it’s right for you.

“We have to understand the significance of what we’re doing, the place it is has in the world, and the potential impact every one of those choices can make.”  -Dr. James Day

On today’s show, I’m chatting with Dr. James Day. James is Director of the Sunderman Conservatory of Music and Associate Professor of Music at Gettysburg College

I wanted to talk to James to get a sense of what a Conservatory looks for in prospective students and what students can do to make sure they’re prepared for music school. 

We dig into:

33s – James Day’s background
5m59  – Why should someone major in music?
8m53s – Music in a Liberal Arts setting
11m43s – Different types of music majors 
16m43s – Scholarship opportunities (even for non-majors)
27m18s – Best practices to secure a scholarship 
33m13 – COVID 19

Thanks for listening! -Trevor Jones

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

474: Dan Carson on auditioning and taking a leap

Dan Carson is the latest member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s bass section.  I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Dan for over a decade.  He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and worked with Andy Anderson and a few other teachers (including me!) during high school.

Dan attended Indiana University and won principal bass of the Alabama Symphony during his junior year. After a few years, he decided to return to Indiana University to finish his undergraduate degree.

He opted to not return to the Alabama Symphony and headed to the University of Southern California to study with David Allen Moore.  Five months into his studies at USC, Dan won a position with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

We cover a lot of fascinating ground, including:

  • making progress in school versus out of school
  • his decision to quit the Alabama Symphony to continue his studies
  • what it was like being back in school after several years playing professionally
  • what he learned working with Paul Ellison, Andy Raciti, and David Allen Moore
  • Dan’s audition preparation routine for Lyric
  • getting through moments of discouragement

…and much more!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D’Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!