Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

276: Petia Bagovska on Bulgarian bass traditions

Petia Bagovska double bass

It was such a pleasure to catch up with Petia Bagovska in Prague for BASS2016!  I’ve known her for years.  We used to play in some orchestras together when we were both living in Chicago.

When we both realized that we would be in Prague together for the European Bass Congress, we agreed to find a few minutes to catch up and record an interview.

Let’s set the scene…

We’re sitting in the courtyard of the HAMU in Prague on a beautiful October afternoon.

It’s the most perfect weather imaginable. Everyone is outside having a coffee or a beer and a snack, chatting, laughing, trying out basses, and enjoying the experience of being united together as bassists in one of the world’s great cities!

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

We talk about:

  • life as a professional bassist in Bulgaria
  • Petia’s experiences studying in Sofia
  • orchestra life in Bulgaria
  • Petia’s book Double bass: Traditions and future

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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.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

274: Yung-chiao Wei on overcoming challenges, Carnegie Hall recitals, and living through music

yung-chiao-wei

I had the good fortune to meet Yung-chiao Wei back in 2000 at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan.  She was wrapping up her time with the New World Symphony and was just about to start new new position at Louisiana State University.

The rich double bass culture she has created the past decade-and-a-half is remarkable.

In addition to creating the Louisiana Bass Fest, Yung-chio has propelled her students into all sorts of “next steps” like:

  • winning auditions such as tenured Principal Bassist and Assistant Principal Bassist in the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Acadiana Symphony
  • Assistant Principal Bassist of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra
  • going to prestigious music schools with full scholarships at the Juilliard School, Yale University, Eastman School of Music and Cincinnati Conservatory
  • teaching at at the Cincinnati Conservatory and Southeastern Louisiana University
  • founding the Brava Orchestra, an youth orchestra in Brazil, with a mission to bring music to the poor
  • becoming the Executive Director at New York Baroque Incorporated

Talk about having an impact on future generations of musicians!

Yung-chiao and I dig into all kinds of topics, like:

  • how playing Brahms makes her feel alive
  • the Tai-chi horse stance and how it applies to bass playing
  • overcoming some of her physical limitations
  • over-practicing and how to avoid it
  • her solo recordings
  • the value of creating a bass festival

…and much more!

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Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Contrabass Conversations!

The 10th anniversary of Contrabass Conversations will happen on January 1, 2017!  Call into our special voicemail line at (415) 952-5643 and leave a message telling me a thing or two about yourself like:

  • your name
  • where you live
  • how long you’ve played bass
  • where you play
  • when you discovered the podcast
  • your favorite episode(s)

Thanks to our sponsor!

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.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

271: George Amorim on building a double bass empire

George Amorim double bass

What happens if you get hired to teach double bass… and there are zero students?

That’s what George Amorim faced when he joined the faculty of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Where do you even begin?

But George wasn’t deterred.  First, he visited high schools in the area.  Lots of bass players, but lots of work to be done.

More high school visits from George.  People took notice.  Slowly, things began to grow.

Then George started ¡Viva el Bajo!  The response was immediate, and it grew bigger over time.  Students got better.  Word began to spread.

Fast-forward to the present.

George has created a double bass powerhouse in South Texas.  His bass quartet featuring himself and his students Andres Vela, Daniel Morehead, and Gabriel Preusse played a stellar recital.

Piece #1 on the program: an arrangement of Peter and the Wolf by UTRGV faculty member Justin Writer.  Justin also narrated!

Piece #2 on the program: an original composition by Gabriel Preusse called Afro Sambas.

By the way, Gabriel’s quartet is published and available! Contact him to learn more.

How did George enact this long-term plan to transform a double bass vacuum into one of the most vibrant bass scenes in the country?  What can others do to build their own double bass scene, no matter where they live?

That’s what we dig into in this interview.

Learn more about my coverage of music teaching at contrabassconversations.com/teaching.

Thanks to our sponsor!

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.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

270: Alexandre Ritter on method books, new works, and Brazilian double bass

Alexandre Ritter

Alexandre Ritter has become a champion of Armando Trovajoli’s work Sconcerto.

Once you hear this amazing piece, you’ll understand why.

Written for Franco Petracchi, this work has been largely unplayed until Alex got his hands on it.

The process was complex, but Alex worked it out to record the entire piece and publish it on YouTube.  This piece is destined to become one of the major concert works for orchestra.  It’s jazzy, colorful, mysterious, and magical.

But that’s not all Alex is doing these days.

We dig deep into Bille, how Alex uses it in his teaching, and we get into the debate of using the 3rd finger in the lower positions like what’s printed in Bille—Alex makes a compelling case for it.

While we were talking, he actually grabbed the bass and played through several examples for me!

Alex and I also talk about the experience of leaving Brazil to study in Georgia, how philosophy has influenced his thinking, job prospects in Brazil, and much more!

Learn more about my coverage of music teaching at contrabassconversations.com/teaching.

Links to check out:

Be sure to subscribe to Contrabass Conversations to get these episodes delivered automatically to your mobile device!

Thanks to our sponsor!

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.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!