Interview Guests – Page 120

363: David Neubert on teaching and ISB history

David Neubert was one of the early champions of the International Society of Bassists. He hosted conventions at UT-Austin (1986) and Interlochen (1993).

He was the Principal Bass of the Springfield Symphony (Massachusetts), the Wichita Symphony and recently retired from the Austin Symphony Orchestra. He was a double bass professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Wichita State University, and The University of Texas at Austin.

We talk about a wide range of topics, including:

David’s early years in Northern California
the accomplishments of former students of his
David’s cross-country career path
the Reinshagen (New Work) and Torello (Philadelphia) schools of playing
David Walter and his Melodious Bass book

362: David Gage talks shop

David Gage opened his shop in 1978 in New York City. He has played an integral role in the double bass world ever since. David has served on the International Society of Bassists board of directors in the past and provides a wide range of products and services for the double bassist.

We chat about many topics, including:

studying with Dave Holland in 1976
working with Chuck Traeger
the origins of the shop
getting into making products and services
being a part of the “bass revolution” over the past few decades

359: Gary Karr on his remarkable journey

I’ve been dreaming about having Gary Karr on Contrabass Conversations ever since starting the show. We got a chance to sit down and chat during the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention, and that’s what you’re hearing today.

Gary is the reason that so many of us (myself included) play the bass. He and I chat about my first experience seeing him perform in Sioux Falls South Dakota. This had a profound impact on me and is a key reason why I play the bass today.

Gary Karr founded the International Institute for String Bass (IISB) in 1967. During these early years, he published sixteen issues of Bass Sound Post and two issues of Probas. He also hosted three international conferences in Madison, Wisconsin.

Seeing Gary at this 50th anniversary convention was a treat for everyone involved. We saw him in concerts. He spent time chatting and taking photographs with countless bassists during the week. Having him at this event was significant for everyone attending.

358: Orchestra and Opera Excerpts

This is a “best of” episode from three classic Contrabass Conversations episodes. Back in the early days of the podcast, John Grillo and I recorded two episodes that dissected various excerpts. He and I talked through each excerpt and then played a recording of John performing it.

These have been extremely popular resources over the years, but they came out not he podcast ten years ago. With so many episodes of this podcast and so many new listeners to the show, bringing these classic offerings to light is important to me, so I’m planning on doing a few rebroadcasts of this cornerstone content every now and again.

Orchestra Excerpts Covered:

Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Brahms Symphony No. 1 and 2
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
Mozart Symphony No. 35 and 39
Mahler Symphony No. 2
Schubert Symphony No. 9
Strauss Ein Heldenleben
Britten Young Person’s Guide
Verdi Otello

Opera Excerpts Covered:

Strauss
- Salome
- Rosenkavalier
Wagner
- Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
- Die Walküre
Britten
- Peter Grimes
Verdi
- Otello
- Rigoletto
- Falstaff
Weber
- Euryanthe
Mozart
- Magic Flute
- Marriage of Figaro
Beethoven
- Fidelio
Humperdinck
- Hansel and Gretel

356: James VanDemark on boxing, projection, and 40 years of teaching at Eastman

James VanDemark just celebrated his 40th year of teaching at the Eastman School of Music. His students have held positions with many of the world’s major orchestras, including the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Minnesota, San Francisco, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Rochester Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and the orchestras of Syracuse, Buffalo and Wichita.

We dig into many topics, including:

boxing and what it has done for James as well as his students
the experience of being a principal bassist of a professional orchestra at 17
how he came to join the Eastman faculty in his early 20s
studying with cellists like Paul Katz and Leonard Rose
learning how to play for a bigger hall – lessons learned from Leonard Rose
learning how to vary sound and color to blend in or to project out

There’s also a great feature on Backstage Pass from Classical 91.5 celebrating James and his 40 years at Eastman.

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We talk about a wide range of topics, including:

We chat about many topics, including:

Orchestra Excerpts Covered:

Opera Excerpts Covered:

We dig into many topics, including:

Thanks to our sponsors!

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