Contrabass Conversations

Today's episode features Ted Botsford. Ted is currently a bassist in the Seattle Symphony and just won a position in the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ted played in the Oregon Symphony prior to joining the Seattle Symphony.

Ted studied with George Vance while growing up in the Washington, D.C. area and continued his studies with Paul Ellison in college.

• taking an audition when you're already holding down a full-time job and how that's a different approach the when you're a student
• struggling in auditions and a book recommendation from Paul Ellison that helped
• attending BUTI, studying with Rick Barber, and participating in the National Symphony Youth Fellowship program while in high school
• developing the bow from the beginning, starting with really good habits so you don't have to do remedial teaching later
• what Ted does to keep himself in shape and how he varies his warm-ups to keep things fresh
• working with Chris Hanulik in LA prior to winning the Oregon audiiton and the impact it had on his playing

• Performing in the Zone by Jon Gorrie - book recommendation from Paul Ellison
• other books Ted found helpful: Inner Game of Tennis and Inner Game of Music
• Ted Botsford on All Classical On-Air (in Portland)
• Rhapsody by Rabbath - performed by Ted

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Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

I had the chance to sit down with John Beder and Katie DeRoche to chat about their new documentary Composed, which tackles the topic of performance anxiety.

John and Katie are on a tour screening the movie in various cities. Check out their tour dates, and if it's not playing near you then contact them to see if you can help arrange a screening!

• Composed trailer
• video version of this interview

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

Here's the latest Weekly Update episode! Check out all past episodes at contrabassconversations.com/news, and send me any stories you'd like shared at [email protected].

• Matthew McDonald

• Acoustic Image amp giveaway from Discover Double Bass
• Paul Cannon's video "What it's like to rehearse with Ensemble Modern"
• John Schimek coverage in NewsOK
• Hans Sturm for receives University of Nebraska-Lincoln Certificate of Recognition for Contributions to Students
• Barry Green on the road
• How I Teach Double Bass to Beginners
• Be Part of the Music from Scott Lang

• Eric Steffens
• Kevin Brown

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

I had a wonderful time chatting with Detroit Symphony principal bassist Kevin Brown. Kevin studied with Peter Lloyd, Paul Ellison, and David Allen Moore prior to his appointment with the Detroit Symphony and also won the 2009 International Society of Bassists Orchestral Competition.

• growing up in Minnesota and starting the bass at age 3
• studying with Peter Lloyd, Paul Ellison, and David Allen Moore
• listening to excerpts like Ein Heldenleben while doing stretches
• living a musical life rather than just being a bass player
• long-term audition preparation
• making breakthroughs by only choosing to meet his own standards
• becoming a musical scholar of sorts during audition preparation
• advice that CSO principal bassist Alex Hanna gave to Kevin as he was getting ready to do a trial for principal bass of the Detroit Symphony
• advice he'd have for his 23-year-old self

We also talk about playing incidental solos and how much it resembles playing an audition for Kevin, and we feature excerpts of Kevin playing Bach as well as an excerpt of the Vanhal Concerto with the Detroit Symphony.

Kevin's a great person and was a lot of fun to chat with!

• Kevin's DSO bio page
• Kevin teaching a master class (video)

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

I have had a great time following along with Eric Steffens and his remarkable career over the years.

Starting off at Eastman studying with James VandeMark and then heading to Vienna to work with Alois Posch in Vienna, Eric won a position in 2012 as principal bass of the Philharmonie Südwestfalen.

What's extra-cool to me is that Eric was my very first serious bass student. We worked together in the early 2000s, and it has been so cool seeing where life has taken him.

• working with Jeff Campell at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in the summer and how it led Eric to Eastman
• heading overseas and studying with Alois Posch
• how much orchestral stylistic traditions vary throughout Europe
• Vienna and how specific the traditions are in this city
• the journey from student to professional in Europe
• audition procedures in Germany and Austria
• what life in his orchestra is like

Eric's a great guy and is doing great things in the bass world!

• Eric's website
• Eric's upcoming performance of the Nino Rota Concerto
• how German auditions work (article from Rob Knopper)

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

Here's the latest Weekly Update episode! Check out all past episodes at contrabassconversations.com/news, and send me any stories you'd like shared at [email protected].

• Hans Sturm

• Annotated Chamber Music List from Jeremy-Kurtz-Harris
• list includes recommendations from Kurt Muroki, Scott Pingel, Volkan Orhon, and Jeff Weisner

• Virginia Dixon Suzuki Bass Camps - see calendar
• College Bass Ensemble Showcase at ISB 2017
• Scor! - string camps for adult amateurs
• Cuba summer concert tour

• Tao of Bass by Marcos Machado

• Galicia Graves preview
• David Heyes interviews Jason

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

Today's episode features a "turn-the-tables" interview with David Heyes of recitalmusic.net. We dig into topics like:

• Jason's career trajectory
• teaching bass
• making a life in music through multiple projects
• the evolution of double bass over the decades
• why Jason started the podcast
• continuing to learn as we get older

Thank you so much to David for doing this!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter the D'Addario string giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners and win a chance at a set of Orchestral, Pizzicato, or Hybrid sets!

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

The Galicia Graves International Festival and Competition will take place February 17-19, 2017. Jason chats with Simón García, Diego Zecharies, and Gabriele Ragghianti about the upcoming event.

Check out the YouTube version of this conversation here.

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

Here's the latest Weekly Update episode! Check out all past episodes at contrabassconversations.com/news, and send me any stories you'd like shared at [email protected].

• Ira Gold

• per service podcast (website)
• per service podcast (iTunes link)

• P. Kellach Waddle Trio Debut - January 22
• Waddle conducting Orchestra Enigmatic - January 27 & 29
• Las Vegas Bass Workshop - January 28
• University of Minnesota Duluth Double Bass Festival - February 3-4
• San Francisco Winter Bass Bash - February 26
• South Texas Bass Club hosted Claus Freudenstein
  • my interview with Claus Freudenstein
  • my interview with George Amorim
• Bradetich 2nd International Double Bass Competition - video update

• Make It by Emilio Guarino
• my interview with Emilio

• Brandino
• Dan Styffe

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.

Dan Styffe is a man in constant motion. It's astonishing the number of musical projects that he has going on:

• a new solo album coming this spring (his eighth album in 11 years!)
• appearances at events like BASS2016, RCM International Festival, and ISB 2017
• serving as Co-Principal Bass of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
• teaching at The Norwegian Academy of Music and Barratt Due's Institute of Music

New music for the bass is a major area of interest for Dan. He works regularly with composers like Rolf Martinsson, Teppo Hauta-Aho, Bernard Salles, and Simón García.

• growing up deep in the woods of Sweden
• how starting to play on his beautiful Gasparo da Saló bass changed his technique
• life in the Oslo Philharmonic
• what Dan finds exciting about the modern double bass scene
• tips for finding practice time in a busy schedule
• why Dan places the greatest importance on sound

It was such a pleasure to spend time with Dan at BASS2016 in Prague, and I can't wait to see him again in person!

• Dan's website
• Octophonia (Dan's most resent release)
• documentary of Dan premiering Rolf Martinsson's Bass Concerto (YouTube)

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.