Contrabass Conversations

In this episode of Contrabass Conversations, Jason discusses the gear he is using to record Contrabass Conversations. For this episode he is using: iRiver IFP-899 Sony ECM MS957 (the price has really dropped since I bought it six years ago!) Last episode Jason use the same microphone into his laptop through a Griffin iMic . The results are actually much cleaner into the iRiver than into the laptop. Music played on this podcast: Agnus Dei by double bassist Peter Lawson This is an excerpt from a very interesting piece written by a very creative double bassist. For more information on this and other works by Peter Lawson you can e-mail him at [email protected]. Peter studied with Michael Hovnanian at Northwestern University (Michael now teaches at Roosevelt University) and with Rob Kassinger at DePaul University. He is a great double bassist, a great composer, and an all-around great guy. CORRECTION: Although Peter plays with the Madison Symphony, he is not a member of this ensemble. He won an audition in the past for this organization but had to turn the position down due to scheduling concerns, so although he does perform with this group, he is not a member. Jason discusses several auditions coming up for the double bass. Although there aren't many jobs this month, there are several summer festivals holding auditions: North Carolina School of the Arts Artist/Teacher of Bass beginning Fall 2007 National Repertory Orchestra Audition tour in January and February Festival runs from 6/10-8/5 in 2007 Detroit Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Fellow - 2007-08 Season deadline for tapes: 2/6/07 AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria 7/10-8/11 in 2007 Live auditions 2/25-3/31 in various North American cities taped auditions acceptable Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Audition for Bass 5 per-service position for more information, e-mail [email protected] Kent/Blossom Chamber Music Festival 7/1-8/12 in 2007 Tanglewood Music Center The Boston Symphony Orchestra's Academy for Advanced Musical Study 6/21-8/20 in 2007 apply online New World Symphony National Audition Tour January through March in 2007 apply online Another great program always worth checking out is the Aspen Music Festival and School. The best place to find current audition information is at musicalchairs.info.

Hello, and welcome to Contrabass Conversations, your weekly podcast for double bass interviews, resources, news, and music! Contrabass Conversations is a new project by Jason Heath. You can find all information for this show at http://contrabassconversations.com. This show will be released every Monday. Most shows will be in an interview format, but these first few shows will be with Jason alone. The show will not exceed 30 minutes in length. I would rather have people wanting more Contrabass Conversations than begging for less! When I am doing a show alone the length will be around 15-20 minutes, and when I have a guest, shows will be around 20-30 minutes in length. Topics covered in these shows will include profiling specific excerpts, solos, and audition lists, double bass techniques and practice strategies, and general advice for pursuing developing one's ability on the bass and pursuing a professional career on the bass. I already have some great guests lined up for this show, but I would like to interview YOU for this show! People from all walks of life, from students and amateurs to professional performers and pedagogues all have valuable information to share, and I plan on interviewing representatives from all of these groups of people. Link of the week: http://talkbass.com Talkbass is the best double bass and electric bass forum available online. Please visit them, participate, and support them. They are a great resource. Paul Determan (founder of Talkbass) and I used to play in the South Dakota Symphony together. For more double bass and general music information, visit my blog: http://doublebassblog.com