Podcast – Page 153

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.

382: standing vs. sitting – the double bassist’s dilemma

This episode takes a look at the benefits and drawbacks to seated and standing approaches to playing the double bass.

Part 1 – sitting
Part 2 – standing
Part 3 – transitioning from sitting to standing

We feature highlights from past podcast guests:

Dr. Randy Kertz – specialist in musician’s health
Max Dimoff – Cleveland Orchestra principal bass and University of Michigan faculty
Alex Hanna – Chicago Symphony principal bass and DePaul University faculty
Bruce Bransby – Indiana University faculty
Greg Sarchet – Lyric Opera of Chicago and Northeastern Illinois faculty
Michael Hovnanian – Chicago Symphony
David Grossman – New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Paul Ellison – Rice University faculty
Ju-Fang Liu – Indianapolis Symphony and Butler University faculty
Dennis Whittaker – Houston Grand Opera and University of Houston faculty
Szymon Marciniak – soloist and chamber musician
David Allen Moore – Los Angeles Philharmonic and University of Southern California faculty
Ira Gold – National Symphony and Peabody Conservatory faculty

Resources to check out:

Check out more “best-of” episodes at contrabassconversations.com/highlights.

381: developing bow strokes

This episode is a deep-dive into developing bow strokes on the double bass.

Part 1 – bow stroke overview
Part 2 – developing spiccato
Part 3 – bow stroke deep-dive

We feature highlights from past podcast guests on this topic:

Matthew McDonald – Berlin Philharmonic
Lloyd Goldstein – former member of the Florida Orchestra and a longtime Francois Rabbath student
David Allen Moore – LA Phil and USC
Ed Barker and Lawrence Wolfe of the Boston Symphony
Michael Hovnanian – Chicago Symphony
Ira Gold – National Symphony and Peabody Conservatory
Lawrence Hurst – former Indiana University bass professor

Recommended resources:

Strokin’ by Hal Robinson (order it from Robertson & Sons)
Ira Gold’s Orchestral Bowing Workshop

Check out more “best-of” episodes at contrabassconversations.com/highlights.

380: Jonathan Glawe on landing jobs, delegation, and the state of music education

I’ve followed along with the incredible career of Jonathan Glawe for many years.

Jonathan has established himself as one of the rising stars in the music education world. He is the current Director of Orchestras for Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and he is in demand across the country as a clinician.

Glawe has played an important role in the their return to the GRAMMY Signature School list, in which the Pioneer Music Department was honored as one of the top 3 music programs in the nation in 2010 and 2015, and earned the honor of being the National GRAMMY Signature School in 2011.

Glawe was recognized as MSBOA District 12 Orchestra Director of the Year in 2011, 2013 and 2015. He was a finalist for the Michigan Orchestra Director of the Year in 2012.

Jonathan also attended and represented the US in a symposium of Music Education in Stockholm, Sweden with a quartet from the Pioneer ensemble.

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!